Windows 10: Change Libraries Icon in File Explorer in Windows 10

How to: Change Libraries Icon in File Explorer in Windows 10

How to Change Libraries Icon in File Explorer in Windows 10


Libraries gather added folders that are stored in different locations so you can browse them in one place.

This tutorial will show you how to change the icon for Libraries in File Explorer to any icon for your account or all users in Windows 10.


CONTENTS:

• Option One: Change Libraries Icon for Current User
• Option Two: Change Libraries Icon for All Users

EXAMPLE: Default Libraries icon in File Explorer











OPTION ONE [/i] Change Libraries Icon for Current User

*note This option will override Option Two.

*note This option will only be applied to the current user, and no other user account on the PC.
1. Press the Win+R keys to open Run, type regedit into Run, and click/tap on OK to open Registry Editor.

2. Navigate to the key below in the left pane of Registry Editor. (see screenshot below)
*Arrow HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\DefaultIcon

*note If you do not have a DefaultIcon key, right click on the {031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5} key, click/tap on New, click/tap on Key, type DefaultIcon for the name, and press Enter.




3. In the right pane of the DefaultIcon key, double click/tap on the (Default) string value (REG_SZ) to modify it. (see screenshot above)

4. Type the full path of the .ico file wrapped in quotes you want to use for the icon, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

*note The default icon is: %SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-1023



5. You can now close Registry Editor if you like.

6. If File Explorer (Win+E) is currently open, close and reopen it to apply.

*note If the icon doesn't change, then sign in to apply instead.





OPTION TWO [/i] Change Libraries Icon for All Users

*note You must be signed in as an administrator to do this option.

*note If any user uses Option One, it will override this option for their account.
1. Press the Win+R keys to open Run, type regedit into Run, and click/tap on OK to open Registry Editor.

2. If you used Option One, delete the DefaultIcon key located below. (see screenshots below)
*Arrow HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\DefaultIcon






3. Navigate to the key below in the left pane of Registry Editor. (see screenshot below)
*Arrow HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\DefaultIcon




4. Change the owner of the DefaultIcon key to the Administrators group.

5. Change the permissions of the DefaultIcon key to "Allow" Administrators "Full control" of it.

6. In the right pane of the DefaultIcon key, double click/tap on the (Default) string value (REG_SZ) to modify it. (see screenshot above)

7. Type the full path of the .ico file wrapped in quotes you want to use for the icon, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

*note The .ico file will need to be saved at a location (ex: "C:\Windows" or "C:\Users\Public") that all users have access to. If it's not, the icon may show as a default folder for some users instead.

*note The default icon is: %SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-1023



8. You can now close Registry Editor if you like.

9. If File Explorer (Win+E) is currently open, close and reopen it to apply.

*note If the icon doesn't change, then sign in to apply instead.

That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Add or Remove Libraries in Navigation Pane of File Explorer in Windows 10
• How to Move Libraries Above or Below This PC in Navigation Pane in Windows 10
• How to Change Icon of a Library in Windows 10
• How to Add Change Icon to Context Menu of New Libraries in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Libraries Desktop Icon in Windows 10

:)

 

Windows 10 Tweaks

Pressing “Windows+Pause Break” (it’s up there next to scroll lock) opens the “System” Window.

Windows 10: In the new version of Windows, Explorer has a section called Quick Access. This includes your frequent folders and recent files. Explorer defaults to opening this page when you open a new window. If you’d rather open the usual This PC, with links to your drives and library folders, follow these steps:

• Open a new Explorer window.
• Click View in the ribbon.
• Click Options.
• Under General, next to “Open File Explorer to:” choose “This PC.”
• Click OK

credit to Lifehacker.

 

Windows vista x64 computer icon always changing

what icons are you referring to?
In the Windows Explorer list or desktop?

 

File Explorer Libraries resetting on Wondows 10

Hi,

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community. We appreciate your interest in Windows 10.

I would suggest you to try the following methods and check if that help.

Method 1: Restore Default Libraries.

Let’s first check if this happens only when you navigate through the Library directory. If yes, then this might be due to the corrupted or damaged library files or settings. So, let’s, first delete the Library folders from
the windows explorer and then we can restore the default libraries and check if that works. You may follow these steps:

• Open the “File Explorer” from the desktop interface by clicking on its icon on the taskbar.
• Right click on the Library items and click on “Delete”.

Note: Deleting a library does not delete the contents of the included folders. However, you may need to re-add or include your folders manually, if needed.

3. Right click on the Library icon in the Navigation pane of the window.

4. Click on “Restore default libraries”.

5. This recreates the library that you just deleted.

6. Now try to attach/upload the files from the Library directories and check if the issue still persists.

If the issue persists, then let’s run an
SFC Scan to check if this is caused by any corrupted or damaged protected system files.

Method 2: SFC Scan

The sfc /scannow command scans all protected system files and replaces incorrect versions with correct Microsoft versions.

• 
  Press “Windows Logo” + “X” keys on the keyboard.
  
• 
  Select “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the menu.
  
• 
  At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press
  

• 
  sfc /scannow
  

4. Follow the on-screen instructions and complete the scan.

Important: It may ask for windows installation DVD to fix and to enable SFC to make more than minor repairs. Some files saved on your computer might get deleted when fixing corrupted files.

Hope it helps. Kindly update the status of the issue, we will be happy to help you.

 

Change Library Icon in Windows 10


You'll have to drag and drop them from that very specific location, or it won't let you drag and drop them. I find it best to copy and paste the location in the step into the address bar of File Explorer and press Enter.

In your screenshot, the folders under "This PC" in the navigation pane wouldn't be for the libraries if that is what you meant. The tutorial below can help show you how to see libraries in the navigation pane.

Hide or Show Libraries in Navigation Pane in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Customization Tutorials

 

How do you change the icon image of a file in File Explorer? (Windows 10)

Hi Lewis,

There are different personalization options available in the Windows 10 operating system that can be used by a file. This includes changing the icon or the image being used by the file. For us to resolve your concern you can follow the steps on this

link to assign a custom icon to a specific file type that you want.

Take note that some of the steps involved will require you to make registry edits in your computer as such, we do suggest that you make the necessary backup of your important files before proceeding. If you have further questions on how to change the icons
for a specific file type in Windows 10, we do suggest that your post you concern in our

Microsoft Developer Network forums so that our community members can provide assistance and suggestions to achieve your objective.

Feel free to reach out to us for further concerns.