Nice icon for the program folder. File, Folder and Shortcut on the computer: what is it? How to find out the name of the program that the shortcut refers to and where it is located

On the screen of your monitor there are a large number of different folders and icons that have a standard look. Perhaps you are tired of their familiar look and would like to change it. It is possible! But in order to do this, you need to download a collection of different icons for files and folders. For example this one.

Download a set of icons. This set contains icons in two formats.

How to change the folder icon.

To replace the folder icon, move the cursor over the desired folder and press the right mouse button. Some list will appear. We select "Properties" in it.

A window with icons will appear. You can choose the icon you like for the folder from this list or choose an icon from the downloaded icons.

If you want to select an icon among the icons you downloaded, then click the "Browse" button, go to the folder with the icons, select the one you like and click "Open", then click "OK" in the windows that appear. The icon you like will be applied to the folder.

For example, here is the folder that I got.

How do I change the file icon?

We proceed in a similar way! Click on the file with the right mouse button, go to the "Properties" section, but here go to the "Shortcut" tab, click "Change icon".

Following these simple rules, you can gradually change all the folder and file icons to those that you like best. The folder icons are all the same, so they usually need to be replaced. Then you can distinguish them not only by name, but also by color and shape.

Now that you've tidied up your folder icons, you need to figure out how easy they are to use. It is better to use some programs in a portable version, so that in case of emergency you always have them at hand, namely: on a USB flash drive. However, this makes the folders with programs look like a dump, and it becomes inconvenient to look for the file.exe in them to run. This problem can be solved by creating separate shortcuts located in the root of the flash drive. These "smart guys" independently run all the necessary programs on absolutely any computer, regardless of where you put your storage device.

2. Return to its root and click on an empty space with the right mouse button. Now select the New and Shortcut functions.

3. After that, we need to specify the path to it in a similar way:

% windir% \ system32 \ cmd.exe / C start / B / D \ * path to the program folder * \ * path to the program folder * \ * file name.exe *

When you write it, do not forget to include the backslash "\". In our case, it looks like this:

% windir% \ system32 \ cmd.exe / C start / B / D \ Soft \ OpenOffice \ Soft \ OpenOffice \ X-ApacheOpenOffice.exe

A small footnote: if you decide to place all the shortcuts in a separate folder, creating an additional one in the root of the flash drive, indicate in the command line that it will need to go back to this folder. Just put a period "." As the first slash. In our specific case, it looks like this:

% windir% \ system32 \ cmd.exe / C start / B / D. \ Soft \ OpenOffice. \ Soft \ OpenOffice \ X-ApacheOpenOffice.exe

6. To window command line was not displayed at startup, select the "Minimized to Icon" option in the "Window" field:

7. Right on the tab at the bottom of the window, click the "Change icon" button, and then in the window that appears, open the executable file of the program, since it is on it that we create a shortcut. We mark it and click "OK" - the same as on the properties window.

8. Now the shortcut will change its icon on its own, and we can run the program from the root of the flash drive. This folder, along with the program and the shortcut, you can easily transfer to any convenient place. At the same time, they will work fine while maintaining the relative path from the shortcut to the working executable file.

We hope that each of our articles helps you to become more confident and not to be afraid of any actions when working with a computer. Have a positive working mood!

Over time, the appearance of the "Desktop" can be pretty boring. Many users are limited to a simple wallpaper change. The fresh main window image, however, can be supplemented with new shortcut icons. How to change different types icons, we will consider in this article.

Standard or third-party icons in ico format

First you need to decide what icons you need: classic from Microsoft, which are already stored in the PC's memory, or third-party images. In the second case, you must first create a picture yourself or find an image on the Internet. The main condition is that it must be small and have an ico extension.

You can find ready-made icon files with various designs on third-party resources and download them from there, and then install in any of the following ways, depending on the type of icon (folder, application shortcut, or the main Windows icon). To search use Google services or Yandex: enter the query "Desktop icons for Windows 10" into the line. The variety of icons available for download on the Internet is quite large: author's, thematic, standard for certain Windows versions etc.

You can change icons for all shortcuts at the same time using an icon pack - a separate collection of icons packed into one file with the dll extension. Such packages can also be downloaded from various sources. However, be careful when searching for and downloading such files: trust sites that have a mark that the files have been scanned by antivirus. Otherwise, you run the risk of downloading a malicious program along with the file.

Photo Gallery: Icon Sets for the "Desktop"

The shortcuts on the "Desktop" can be non-standard, but they must be in the ico format. On the Internet you can find many original icons for folders. The Aero icon pack is suitable for users who love modern design. The choice of icons on the Internet is great: from simple to thematic and author's

How to change the appearance of the main icons on Windows 10

The main Windows icons on the "Desktop" are icons named "Trash", "My Computer", "Network", "User Files", "Control Panel" and some others. They are placed on the Desktop by default after installation. You can independently determine which of them should be present on it and which should not. You also have the right to change their appearance in the system window "Options" or using third-party utilities.

Through the Windows Settings window

The easiest way to change the appearance of the main icon is to go to the window with system parameters:

To make the "Parameters" window appear on the display, the easiest way is to simultaneously press two keys: Win + I. But this combination may not work. In this case, there is another way: click on the "Start" button in the lower left corner of the screen, and in the menu itself, select the second icon from the bottom - the gear.
Click on the gear icon in the Start menu
We get into a large menu "Options" with many sections. We need the last tile in the first row - "Personalization".
In the "Options" window, click on the "Personalization" section
The desired tabbed section will open. You can launch the same window in another way: click on the "Desktop" on the area free of icons, and in context menu select the very last item - "Personalization".
Click on the item "Personalization" in the context menu of the "Desktop"
Go to the "Themes" block.
Go immediately from the "Background" tab to "Themes"
In the right column with links to other windows and sections, click on the line "Desktop icons settings".
Click on the link "Desktop icons settings" on the right side of the window
A small window will open on top of the "Parameters" - select the desired icon from the menu with the left mouse button, for example, "This computer". Next, click on the "Change icon" button.
Click on the icon that you want to change and click on the button "Change icon"
In the third window, select an icon from the list of standard Windows icons, or load your own using the "Browse" button.
Choose an icon from the available ones or load your own using the "Browse" button
If you chose the second option (loading your icons), the "Explorer" window will appear. We are looking for a folder with the desired icon file in the ico format. Click on the "Open" button and then click OK.
Find the required ico file in the "Explorer" and click on "Open"
In the "Icon Options" window, first click "Apply" for all changes to take effect. If you want to change the icon for other main Windows icons, repeat the same procedure for each of them. Click on "Apply" again and then on OK to close the window.

Using special utilities

There are many applications from various developers that allow you to change the icons of both the main shortcuts and other icons, for example, folder icons, beyond recognition. In programs, you can change both individual icons and all icons at once, that is, install the whole package.

IconPackager: convenient and fine-tuning the appearance of icons

IconPackager is a product from Stardock that develops utilities for customizing the Windows desktop interface. Several icon packs are preinstalled in this utility. There is also an opportunity to upload your own and change icons in the available collections, that is, create your own unique packages.

The utility supports Windows versions higher than "seven". Its downside is that it is paid, but at the beginning a month of free testing is offered. Although the interface is in English, it is quite convenient to use the application:

Open the official website of the app developer. To download the installer, click on the blue Try It Free button.
Click on the blue Try It Free button to download the installer
Run the installer and install the program following the simple instructions in the window.
Click on the Finish button to bring up the application window on the display.
Click on Finish to close the "Installation Wizard" and open the program window
To start using trial version, click on the Start 30 Day Trial button.
Click on Start 30 Day Trial to start using the program for free for a month
If you want to download a third-party icon that you downloaded from the Internet, in the Look & Feel tab, click on the Icon Package Options drop-down menu. We select the penultimate item Add Icon Package in it, and then Install from disk.
Click on Add Icon Package and then select Install from disk to upload your collection
In Windows Explorer, find the file with the icon pack and click on “Open” - the collection will be added to the list of currently available ones.
You can also choose a theme from those presented in the list. Let's try to put, for example, Delta.
Click on the Delta package below
Click on Preview to preview all the icons in this pack. If you like them, close the second window and boldly click on the Apply icons to my desktop button.
Click on Preview to preview the entire collection of icons
If you want to put the old Windows icons back in place, just apply the first theme in the list - Windows Default Icons.
In the Colors tab, you can change the color, tint, brightness of the icons.
In the Colors tab, adjust the colors of the available icons
Using the item I want to adjust the color of my Icon Package, you can adjust the icons to the theme of your "Desktop" and the color of the "Taskbar". For example, they can completely change the color to red if there is a Windows theme with that shade. After all the changes, click on Apply icons to my desktop.
Icons can match the color of the current Windows theme
In the Live Folders section, you can put separate icons for folders - live icons. To do this, check the box to the left of Always use the Live Folder icons selected below. Then just select the type of folders.
In the Live Folders block, select individual icons for folders
The Customize tab allows you to create your own icon packs. To change a specific icon, click on Change this Icon.
The Customize section allows you to create your own collections and change those presented in the program
In the new small window select from the available ones or add your own icon using the Browse button.
In the Change Icon window, select an icon from those available in the menu, or upload your own using the Browse button
When all changes are made to the package, click on Save Icon Package.
Save changes to the icon package using the Save Icon Package option
In a small window, confirm that you want to make changes to the package. After that, all settings should be successfully saved.
Click "Yes" to confirm your intention to save the changes
There are additional settings in the Settings section. In particular, you can determine which Windows icons should be changed and which ones should not be touched. Here you can enable the Cursors mouse pointer change.
In the Settings tab, you can configure the change for certain types of icons: folders, files, main Windows icons and others

Video: how to install new icons using IconPackager

Se7en Theme Source Patcher: Free Utility & Large Selection of Packages

The application is intended to replace all the classic icons of the "Desktop", local hard drives, folders, as well as icons of the "Control Panel". Initially, the program was created for the "seven", but now it supports other versions of Windows, in particular, our "ten".

The program uses the popular 7z compression format. The downside of the utility is that icon packs are not initially built into it. You need to download all collections on the same site from where you download the application, and then add them yourself to the utility database for further use. Nevertheless, the choice of packages on this resource is very large.

The advantage of this program is that it is free. Before replacing icons, the utility creates a restore point and a backup copy of system files so that you can return all Windows icons to the classic ones:

Moving on to applications. Click on the "Download" button.
Click on the "Download" button to download the executable file of the program
Your browser will download the archive - open it, right-click on the file in it and click on "Extract to ..." in the menu. Select a folder and unzip the archive.
Click on "Extract to specified folder" in the context menu of the file
Find the extracted file, right-click on it again and click on the "Run as administrator" link in the context menu.
In the context menu of the unpacked file, click on "Run as administrator"
Allow this application to make changes on your PC by clicking "Yes" in the system window that appears. The application does not require installation, so its window will open immediately.
Click "Yes" to allow the program to make changes on the device
Pre-select and download the themes you like from the same site.
Download the icon pack you like on the developer's site
In the application window, click Add a Custom Pack.
Click on the Add a Custom Pack button
In Windows Explorer, select the downloaded icon pack archive and click Open.
Find the file with the icon pack and click "Open"
The collection will appear in the menu. At the bottom of the window there will be a Start Patching button. Click on it. The utility will ask if you need to create a restore point. Be sure to create - click "Yes".
Give permission to backup before installing new icons
Wait for the procedure to complete. After that, you need to reboot the device two times for the changes to take effect.
Icon packs from this developer contain not only icons but some other elements as well Windows interface, for example, pictures to replace the clock, date, and even the "Task Manager" window. If you do not need them, before installing the collection, click on the Extra item. In the Option Menu, uncheck unnecessary items and click Save.
In the Option Menu, remove unnecessary items that you do not want to change and click on Save
If you want to restore classic Windows icons, click in the program window on the Restore button in the lower right corner. In the new window, check the box next to the first item and click on OK.
To return to the default Windows icons, click Restore and then OK

It is imperative to install a new icon pack on a clean system, that is, on classic images of icons in Windows, and not on third-party icons. Therefore, make a preliminary restore using the Restore button, if you have icons that differ from the standard ones.

Video: how to set icons using the Theme Source Patcher utility

IconTo: app with built-in instructions for use

IconTo - free app from the developer AleXStam, which can change icons for system elements, folders, hard disk partitions or even their groups.

In IconTo you can change the icons of folders, system objects and hard disk partitions

It has the following advantages over other utilities:

More than 300 built-in icons. There is also the option to upload your own icons.
Instructions for installing icons: at the bottom of the window you will see tips.
There is a conversion of png, jpg, ico formats, as well as an option to extract images from files in dll, exe and some others format.
The program interface is completely in Russian.

IconTo is suitable for all versions of Windows, from Windows 98 to the modern "ten". The size of the downloaded installer does not exceed 15.1 MB, so the utility can be used on computers with a small amount of memory. The application is available for download on the official website of the developer.

How to change the folder icon on Windows 10

If you want to highlight a folder on the general background of icons to make it more recognizable, follow these steps:

Click on the folder shortcut with the right mouse button. In the menu that appears, click on the "Properties" item.
In the context menu of the folder, select the item "Properties"
A window with various sections will immediately appear on the display - go to the "Settings" tab. In the last section, click on the "Change Icon" button.
In the "Settings" tab, click on the "Change icon" button
Select an icon from the available ones: Scroll to the right of the icon list to see all the shortcuts. If you have your own image with the required ico format and you want to put it exactly, click "Browse".

Select an icon among the suggested ones or click on the "Browse" button if you have your own icon
In the additional Windows Explorer window, find the folder where the image is stored. Left-click on it to select it, and then click on "Open".
Find the desired icon in the form of a file with the extension ico in Windows Explorer
For a convenient search, you can use the line with a magnifying glass - just enter the name of the icon file or the extension ico.
Enter ico in the search box and find the file you want
To save the changes, click OK in the window with the list of available icons. After that, the folder icon will change.

How to replace all folder icons at the same time

To change the appearance of all folders, you need to resort to a more complex method - editing the registry in the system window. However, this method is not recommended for beginners: it is better to use the special programs described in the "Using special utilities" section of this article. If you are already a confident PC user, then you can perform manipulations in the system window:

To call the system window "Registry Editor" simultaneously press the keys Win and R - a small panel "Run" with a single line "Open" will open. In it we type the regedit command. For the system to execute it, click on OK or press Enter.
In the "Run" window write the command regedit
In the next window, click "Yes". This will give the "Registry Editor" permission to make changes on the computer.
Click "Yes" to allow system utility make changes on the device
First, let's make a backup in case of incorrect editing of the registry. On the top panel we find the item "File" and click on it with the left mouse button. In the menu that appears, click on "Export".
In the "File" menu, select the "Export" item
In a new window that opens, select the folder in which the copy will be stored. We give the appropriate name to the file. Then click "Save".
We name and save a copy in any folder
Now you can start editing yourself. Double click on the third main branch - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Open the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder by double clicking
We turn one by one into the following blocks in the same left part of the window: Microsoft - Windows - CurrentVersion - Explorer - Shell Icons.
The Shell Icons folder should be in the Explorer section
If you didn’t find the last Shell Icons folder, create this section yourself: right-click on the Explorer section, select “Create” in the context menu, and then click on the “Section” item. We name it appropriately.
If you do not have a Shell Icons folder, create it using the context menu of the Explorer section
Click on Shell Icons. On the right panel, right-click on an empty area to open the menu. In it, select "Create", and then - "String parameter". We indicate the number 3 as the name for the new registry entry.
Click on the "Create" item, and then - "String parameter"
Right-click on it and select "Change". You can also just double-click on it with the left mouse button.
Click on "Change" in the context menu of the newly created parameter
In a small window, in the line for the value of the record, insert the path to the file, where its name and extension ico must be indicated. Click on OK.
In the line "Value" write the path to the ico file, which should be set as an icon
If you are on a 64-bit system, the path to the final Shell Icons folder in the left pane will be slightly different: Wow6432Node - Microsoft - Windows - CurrentVersion - Explorer. Then we repeat the same steps as for a 32-bit system.
Close all windows and restart the device. After starting the OS, you will see that the icons of all folders have changed.

Change application shortcut icon

If you are tired of the old icons of shortcuts for your programs, try replacing them. For example, let's take the shortcut of the popular Google Chrome browser:

We are looking for the desired icon on the "Desktop" (in our case, this is the "Google Chrome" icon). Click on it with the right mouse button to open a context menu with a list of options. We select the same item as in the case of changing the folder icon - "Properties".
Click on the "Properties" item in the context menu of the shortcut Google Chrome
You will immediately be taken to the desired tab - "Shortcut". Click on the middle button "Change icon".
In the "Label" section, click on the "Change icon" button
A window similar to the one in the instructions for changing the folder icon will appear on the display. Here, however, there won't be such a large selection of icons. We specify not the system library as the source, but the chrome.exe executable file. We make a choice, for example, in favor of the original yellow icon. Click on OK.
Select an icon from the available ones or upload your file with the extension ico
In the window with the properties of the shortcut, first click "Apply". The system will ask for permission to make changes. Click on the "Continue" button.
Click on the "Continue" button to save all changes
After that, click on OK - the window will close, and the icon icon will change.
If you want to change the shortcut icon to your own, use the Browse button to upload your own file with a third-party image.

How to create an icon yourself

If you want to install your image (drawn or downloaded from any site) with the png or jpg extension as an icon, you need to reduce its size if necessary using the standard Windows utilities Paint, and then convert it to an ico file using special services - converters.

An easier way is to use the services of online and software icon generators, which are already configured to create files with a certain format and other parameters, for example, image sizes. For example, let's take the program IcoFX, which combines an icon generator and a tool for drawing and editing pictures. It is paid, but its developer, IcoFX Software, provides 30 days of free use. How to use it, we will tell you in the instructions:

Run the installer and select the language in the small window that appears. Unfortunately, there is no Russian there, so we put English. Click on OK, and in the next window we agree to the terms of use of the application. Click on Install.

We are waiting for the installation to complete, then click Finish in the box with a checkmark next to Launch IcoFX.

In the utility window, select the Windows Icon From Image section if you already have an image.

On the initial page of the program, click on Windows Icon From Image if you want to upload an image

Select the file with the picture in the "Explorer".

This will launch a page with a set of image editing tools

Surely you want to remove the background and leave only the item for the icon. To remove it, click on the magic wand in the left panel called Magic Wand.

Click on the Magic Wand on the left vertical panel

Click on the background twice - a dotted line will appear. In the left panel, select a painting tool, for example, Brush ("Brush"). On the right side of the window, click on the checkerboard colored tile.

In the right pane, select the checkerboard tile to make the background transparent.

With a brush, draw over the area bounded by the dotted line. After that, the background will also change to a checkerboard-colored image. This will mean that it is transparent.

In the top menu, select the File item, and then click Save as.

Click Save to save the edited image

Choose a place to store the icon and give it a name. Click on "Save".

Find the folder where you want to save the future icon and click on "Save"

If you want to draw a future icon yourself, click on New Windows Icon in the initial window. In the next window, decide on the quality of the colors (it's better to set it to True Color) and the size of the icon.

Select the size and color quality of the future drawing

In the editor, draw an icon using the available tools: brush, pencil, fill and others. If you want it to be flat, use the Line tool.

When the drawing is ready, save it via the Save as option in the File menu and set it as an icon.

If you are no longer attracted by the look of the old icons on the "Desktop", change them either to other classic icons for Windows, or to your own - any small images in ico format found on the Internet or drawn by yourself. To change icons can be used as built-in Windows tools and third-party applications.

Computer desktop shortcuts. What it is? How are they different from folders and files? How do I create a desktop shortcut and what happens if I delete it? Can I change the shortcut icon? You will find answers to all these questions in this lesson.

Working in the operating room Windows system 10, you may have noticed that you spend too much time opening the Start menu, finding the folder or program you want, opening that folder or launching a program, and returning to your desktop. But all this can be done much faster and easier. It is enough to create a shortcut and place it on the desktop.

Computer desktop shortcuts

What is a shortcut

Label Is just an icon that links to a program or file, so it does not consume system resources and does not affect the performance of your computer. A shortcut, unlike a folder or file, has very little "". Therefore, it is much safer and more convenient to keep shortcuts on the desktop rather than folders.

How is a shortcut different from a file and folder

The shortcut has a small arrow in the lower left corner. If this arrow is not there, then you are working with the source.

If you copy a shortcut to a USB flash drive, it will not open on another computer, because it is not a file, but just a shortcut. Many novice computer users do not know the difference between a shortcut and a file, and do not understand why this happens.

In order not to open the menu endlessly and not to search for the necessary folder or program in it, you can create shortcuts on the desktop. To do this, you need to do the following:

Folders and documents... Open, right-click on the folder or document you need access to, and select the command send and then the option Desktop (create shortcut). And a shortcut to this folder or file will appear on your Desktop.

You can simply select with the left mouse button any folder or disk icon, and without releasing the mouse button, drag it to the Desktop.

Web sites... Open the browser from which you access the Internet. Minimize so that the Desktop is visible. Select the link in the address bar, click on it with the left mouse button, and without releasing the mouse button, drag this link to the desktop and release it. You now have a shortcut to this site. It is enough to double-click on it with the mouse, as the browser will start and the page of this site will open.

Can the shortcut be moved and deleted

You can move the label to another location. It will still work. But if you move the object to which it refers to another place, then you will need to create a new shortcut and delete the old one.
If you remove the shortcut, then nothing bad will happen. Delete only the shortcut itself, and all files to which it refers will remain intact and not harmful.

How to find out the name of the program that the shortcut refers to and where it is located

In order to find out which program launches this shortcut, and where it is located, you need to right-click on this shortcut and select the command from the context menu Properties... A window will open in which in the field An object the path to it and its name will be registered.

How can I change the shortcut icon

You can change the shortcut icon. To do this, right-click on it, select the item in the drop-down menu Properties, go to the tab Label, and click the button below Change Icon.

In order to start using a computer, the user needs at least a little idea of what he is working with. Therefore, you first need to understand the standard concepts.

What is a file - these are all the icons that you see on the monitor, any information on the computer is considered to be files.

A photo is a file, a song is a file, a movie is a file, and everything else is also files.

But there may be folders among the files, and you need to be able to distinguish them. What is a folder?

A folder is a storage location for your files. Initially, a folder is an empty storage where you can put your files. This will help you put things in order in your computer, because using folders you can put music to music, photos to photos. Thus, you can create at least a whole media library with your files and easy navigation. Let's take a look at this clearly.

We are looking at how we can make convenient navigation, for example, we named the main folder my computer, so as not to throw everything into it, we create a few more necessary folders, documents and a gallery in it.

In the gallery folder, we create several more folders, photos and music, in order to separate photos (figure - 3,4) and music (figure - 5) separately.

In the documents folder, we still have one direction, abstracts, in which we put text files (Figure - 1.2).

Thus, you can create an entire library on your computer by sorting files into folders. On different computers the folders may look different, but the standard ones are like in my pictures.

So, a folder is a storage in which we put our files so that they do not lie in the same heap. But sometimes, the folder we need is very far in our gallery and we have to click on other folders for a long time to get to it, which makes the work a little awkward and time-consuming. However, this is not necessary, for quick access to any folder, you can create a separate shortcut and then you can get to the folder we need in just one click. (Click - one click)

What is a shortcut is a quick path to your file or folder. A shortcut is, as it were, a mirror image of your file or folder, which can be taken out to any convenient area of the computer, usually shortcuts are brought out to the desktop in order to get instant access to the necessary information.

For example, my entire computer is divided into 6 parts (main folders):

These folders are located on your hard drive, which means you have to make a lot of clicks to get to them. But I often use the pictures folder, because I have a gallery of photos in it and I want to have instant access to it. What do I need to do?

Right-click on the folder we need, in the pop-up menu, look for the send item, then go to the "Desktop (create shortcut)" tab, click to select with the left mouse button.

Now if we look at the desktop, we will see a shortcut on it, which allows us to move to the picture folder with one click.

Agree, this is very convenient, over time you will get used to it, and your desktop will contain shortcuts to all the folders and files that you use. And remember, a shortcut is just a mirror image, if you delete the shortcut, then the folder or file itself will not be affected in any way. How to distinguish the original folder from the label? Very simple, take a closer look at the bottom left of the icon, if you see an arrow, then this is a shortcut.

I would also like to draw your attention to the gross mistake of all newcomers. Almost all novice users do not pay due attention to the correct creation of folders and do not use shortcuts at all.

They simply create the necessary folders right on the desktop, because while they do not yet know that all the folders that are located on the desktop are saved on the hard disk, which contains operating system, so each new folder will slow down your computer, usually leading to errors and malfunctions.

Therefore, never create folders on your desktop unnecessarily, be literate from the very beginning, set up shortcuts for easy work and don't litter your operating system.

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