Icon editors allow you to change the file icon that is displayed when viewing a file, for example, in Explorer. A file with the ICO extension contains one or more small images of different sizes and color depths. In addition to editing, the presented programs also allow you to create new icons (regular and system) for files, as well as site icons that are used on web resources (blog, website) for display in the browser address bar or browser tabs/bookmarks, such as this one .

The icon editor must either implement special algorithms for working with icons, or use built-in system functions, otherwise the created icons will be difficult to use.

Icons are typically 32 x 32 pixels with a depth of 256 colors, but sometimes 48 x 48 pixels, 64 x 64 pixels, and 128 x 128 pixels are used. Website icons should be saved in size 16 x 16 pixels with a palette of 256 colors. You can create icons in 32-bit color (and it's best to do so), but website icons used on the web should be saved in 256-bit color. You should not save website icons with a different resolution and color depth, as they may not be displayed correctly on some platforms.

Want to get a web page icon?

Google has created a simple service for extracting website icons in PNG format..

www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=site

Review of free programs for replacing and editing icons

Icon editing program Greenfish Icon Editor Pro integrated approach

Not all professional software products are commercial. free program, complete with professional tools for creating, editing, opening and saving file icons. It allows you to extract and modify icons in executable files, or convert image files into icons and other graphic formats.

The program allows you to work with icon libraries. It supports the following image formats: ICO, CUR, ANI, PNG, XPM, BMP, JPG, GIF, as well as Vista compatible PNG icons.

In addition to working with icons, the program allows you to draw cursors, small pixel images, animations and various supported images. The program also has some useful functions, such as applying shadows, creating a visual lighting effect and setting the bevel width.

The program is easy to use. It weighs little and does not require installation. Simply download the zip file, unpack and run the executable file.

IcoFX icon replacement and editing program, alternative to Greenfish

As an alternative, there is a good free icon editor that is worth trying. The program has a rich set of tools and includes the capabilities of more than 40 image modification effects typical of most graphic editors. It will take some time to understand all the tools.

The program allows you to create icons for your executable files, installation files, your website or blog. It also allows you to convert your favorite images into icons and vice versa. The program's capabilities also include converting Macintosh icons to Windows and vice versa.

Another feature of the program is that it works with Vista icons in PNG format, with support for maximum color depth, including alpha channel (transparency).

Another feature of the program is batch processing of icons.

IcoFX

		Lots of tools, more than 40 graphic effects, conversion between Macintosh and Windows icons, batch processing capabilities, etc.
		The process of extracting and fixing icons for some executable files does not work as well as Greenfish Icon Editor Pro.

Replacing standard drive icons in Windows XP

Despite the pleasant and comfortable appearance of the graphical interface in Windows XP, sometimes you want, albeit a little, to change the appearance of various elements of the Windows operating system.

Changing the icon (icon) of such elements as “Trash”, “My Computer”, “Network Neighborhood”, “My Documents” is not difficult. Just right-click on an empty space on your desktop and select “Properties”. In the window that appears, select the "Desktop" tab. At the very bottom of the window of this tab there will be a button “Desktop settings…”. By clicking it, you can see the desktop settings window. Next, select the desired element and change its icon. You can also restore the item's original icon.

Unfortunately, the standard features of Windows XP cannot change the icon for hard drives. But after using the program MicroGerakL, this becomes possible.

Program MicroGerakL was developed by a group of programmers ( LASHSOFT & UNDERGROUND WORKSHOP, Lovikov Mikhail and Nemiro Alexey) in a popular programming environment Visual Basic. The program is free.

MicroGerakL is a program designed for editing icons and cursors.

The method for replacing the standard Windows XP disk icon with your own unique one will be as follows.

First you should take the archive with the program (~38 MB, .rar). The program runs in Windows XP, Windows 2000 without installation.
In order to change a standard icon to a unique one, you must first find or draw the icon yourself that you want to install instead of the standard one.

For example, an icon icon could be like this

Or like this

This one also looks stylish...

In the archive with the MicroGerakL program you will find the folder Icons with a small set of icons. The Icons folder must be placed in the main directory of the disk C:\, where the WINDOWS folder and others are.

In addition to the program itself, the archive contains a rich selection of various icons.

This is necessary so that this folder is not accidentally deleted or moved to another location on the disk. If these icons are installed instead of the standard ones, the operating system will “find” new icons in this folder and display them instead of the usual ones.

If you delete, rename, or move this folder with new icons, the operating system will “lose” the new icons and they will no longer be displayed. You can also place the MicroGerakL program itself in the folder with icons, so it will never get lost, and suddenly you want to change the icons again. Therefore, it is worth placing a folder with new icons on disk C:\, where it is less accessible.

You can, of course, place the Icons folder in another place. The name of the Icons folder may be different, the main thing is to rename it before changing the icons.

We launch the MicroGerakL program and on the toolbar we find a button with a picture of a disk drive.

We press the button. A window will appear "Changing disk icons".

In the column "Disk" Click on the drop-down arrow and select the drive for which you want to change the icon.

In the column "Icon" click on the button with three dots - "Review". In the “Open” window that appears, find the folder with new icons, and having selected the one you like most, press the button "Open".

Now that everything is ready, click on the button "Change". After this, the disk icon should change to a new icon.

If a window was open while replacing disk icons "My computer", then new icons may not appear. Close and reopen My Computer or select Update from the right-click menu. After this, the new icons should appear.

Some disks, for example virtual, icons DVD/CD drives, the icon does not change. It has been verified that the icons of hard drives and network drives (if you have a local network) change reliably.

You can find a variety of icons on the Internet; icon files have the extension .ico. If you have the desire and skill, you can draw the icon yourself.

It's easy to use new icons found or drawn. You need to add them to the Icons folder and replace the icon using the given method.

Like previous versions of the system, Windows 10 supports changing folder icons, but what if you just want to change the color of a folder instead? You can get this effect by editing system files, but it will still be better and more correct if you use third-party applications for these purposes. A brief description of four such programs can be found below.

Folder Painter

A small portable utility that uses a set of icons from the built-in library to “color” folders. The program supports changing the color of a specific folder, as well as a group of folders. After launching, Folder Painter will offer to add itself to the Explorer context menu, which is what you should do. After this, you will be able to change the color of any directories directly from the Explorer menu, with the exception of the most important system ones.

Additionally, the utility supports displaying the color replacement option in the Explorer menu only when holding Shift, using your own name for the option, and sounding a beep when saving the settings. There is also the option to restore the default folder view.

www.sordum.org/10124/folder-painter-v1-0

Folder Marker

Unlike Folder Painter, the Folder Marker utility has more functionality. In addition to “repainting,” the program supports setting labels for folders and adding custom icons to the library.

You can select a color for a folder or group of folders both from the utility window and from the Explorer context menu, into which the program is integrated during the installation process. Changing colors using it is supported for all folders, including system ones. Additionally, it supports canceling all changes (full reset) and updating icons in the system.

foldermarker.com/en/folder-marker-free

Folder Colorizer

Another program for changing the color of catalogs. During installation, it is integrated into the Explorer context menu; it differs from previous applications in the presence of a built-in editor, with which, using the palette, you can create your own color template and add it to the library.

Currently, the program is available as a beta version, it works only with user folders; during installation, it is possible to automatically resize shortcuts on the desktop, apparently due to a minor bug. Also, at the last stage of installation, the program asks you to donate to charity, which you can refuse.

softorino.com/foldercolorizer2

Rainbow Folders

Rainbow Folders is an old, but still working program for changing the color and style of directories. By style we mean the shape of the folder, so you can make the directories the way they were in XP and Vista. The application supports multi-window mode, adding your favorite colors to the library, enhancing contrast, selecting multiple folders at once, and resetting the icon cache.

The last option can be useful if the changes do not take effect immediately. There is a built-in palette. Rainbow Folders is also integrated into the Explorer context menu, but the actual change of folder color is done from the application window.

www.english.aionel.net

All programs presented in this short review are free, Folder Painter and Folder Marker support the Russian language.

Many users are accustomed to completely customizing the appearance of their desktop, screensaver, work windows, and so on. The developers of the Windows operating system have provided the ability to replace the icon for any application or other element on the desktop. You can use any picture as an image for the icon. To change the icon you will need:

— personal computer or laptop (visit ours, which has a large selection of computers);

— a suitable picture in ico format or a picture in another format and Internet access.

Instructions

• - Netshell.dll
• - Wmploc.dll
• - Shell32.dll
• - Pifmgr.dll

All of the above files are located in the system32 folder from the Windows directory of the system drive (most often the system drive is drive C).

1. On the Internet you can find and download a large number of different libraries with images for icons. If you want to set an individual image for a specific program, but it is not in ico format, you can easily convert it to the desired format. To convert one or more images, it is not necessary to install special programs. Currently, there are various services that convert files online. For example, go to http://converticon.com/, add your image, start the conversion and in a couple of moments your image will be presented in ico format.

Video: How to change a shortcut icon

18
Feb
2011

IconPackager 5.0 + RUS

Year of manufacture: 2009
Genre: Changing icons
Developer: Stardock Corporation
Developer's website: http://www.stardock.com/
Interface language: Russian + English
Platform: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7
System requirements: Processor: Pentium III 1 GHz Memory: 256 MB Video card: 16 bit, 1280x800 Free hard disk space: 50 MB
Description: IconPackager is one of the best programs for changing Windows icons. It supports the ability to change both individual icons and the use of ready-made sets for global change of most operating system icons. With this program you can change any Windows icon! IconPackager uses its own file format, which allows you to compress icons in the best possible way.
IconPackager is one of the most versatile and powerful yet user-friendly Windows shell customization programs available today. IconPackager allows you to customize Windows features that are not available from the standard user interface. Some of these features will improve your system's performance, and some will make your life with Windows a little easier. Several features of IconPackager allow it to stand head and shoulders above most similar programs.
IconPackager uses its own .IP file format, which allows you to compress icons in the best possible way.
Additional Information: Icon set

15
May
2011

AutoPlay Media Studio 8.0.5.0 + RUS

Year of manufacture: 2011
Genre: Creating a startup menu
Developer: Indigo Rose Software
Developer's website: http://www.indigorose.com/

Assembly Type: Standard
Bit depth: 32/64-bit
Description: AutoPlay Media Studio is a powerful program for creating a CD/DVD startup menu. This program will create all the necessary files for autorun and its graphical shell. The user will only have to burn the finished project onto his CD/DVD. AutoPlay Media Studio does not require any special knowledge from the user and is very easy to learn, ...

22
but I
2014

AusLogics BoostSpeed ​​7.5.0.0 Premium + RUS

Year of manufacture: 2014
Genre: System optimization
Developer: Auslogics
Developer website: http://www.auslogics.com/
Interface language: English + Russian
Assembly Type: Standard
Bit depth: 32/64-bit
Operating system: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1
System requirements: 60 MB available hard disk space 512 MB RAM
Description: Auslogics BoostSpeed ​​is a popular set of tools for optimizing and tuning your operating system. With this program, you can significantly optimize the operation of your system, easily configure various Windows settings, clean up your hard drive and system...

13
Jan
2010

Network Magic Pro 5.5.9195.0 RUS

Year of manufacture: 2009
Genre: Network Administration
Developer: Cisco
Developer website: http://www.purenetworks.com/
Interface language: Russian
Platform: Windows XP, Vista, 7 (Seven)
System requirements: *Processor: Intel® Pentium® III or equivalent *Memory: 256 megabytes (MB) RAM for Windows XP; 512 megabytes (MB) RAM for Windows Vista *Network adapter: wired (Ethernet) or wireless, with Internet connection (router, gateway) *Disk space: 100 megabytes (MB) *Web browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.5 or later
Description: Network Magic is a simple solution to many network problems! Network Magic...

14
Jan
2011

ImgBurn 2.5.5.0 + RUS

Year of manufacture: 2011
Genre: Disc recording
Developer: LIGHTNING UK!


Platform: Windows 2000, 2000 x64, XP, XP x64, 2003, 2003 x64, Vista, Vista x64, 7, 7 x64
Description: ImgBurn - An excellent program for burning images of CD/DVD/HD DVD/Blu-ray discs. Created by the author of the popular, but once closed project DVD Decrypter, designed for copying and removing protection from DVD discs. The main feature of ImgBurn is its support for a large number of drives from various manufacturers, supports all the latest storage...

12
Mar
2010

ImTOO DVD Ripper Ultimate 5.0.64.0304 + Rus 5.0.64.0304

Year of manufacture: 2010
Genre: DVD Converter
Developer: imtooSoftware Studio
Developer website: http://www.imtoo.com
Interface language: Multilingual (Russian is present)
Platform: Windows® 2000,XP,Vista,7
System requirements: minimum
Description: ImTOO DVD Ripper Ultimate is one of the best programs today for converting DVDs and creating rips directly from a DVD disc (joint development of ImTOO Software Studio and Xilisoft Corporation). Converts DVD to any video and audio files playable on many digital mobile devices (PSP, PS3, iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, Archos, ...

11
Jan
2011

MOBILEdit! 5.0.1.988 + RUS

Year of manufacture: 2010
Genre: Mobile phone management program
Developer: COMPELSON Laboratories
Developer's website: http://www.mobiledit.com
Interface language: Russian + English

Description: MOBILedit! - a unique modular program that allows you to control your mobile phone from a personal computer via Bluetooth, infrared or cable. You can easily copy photos from your phone or load your favorite ringtones, logos, MP...

30
May
2013

ImgBurn 2.5.7.0 + RUS

Year of manufacture: 2012
Genre: Disc recording
Developer: LIGHTNING UK!
Developer's website: http://www.imgburn.com

Assembly Type: Standard
Bit depth: 32/64-bit
Operating system: Windows XP, Vista, 7
Description: ImgBurn is a utility for burning disk images. This small program has all the necessary functions for burning almost any CD/DVD images. ImgBurn has a number of other functions that allow you to open/close the drive tray, search the Internet for new firmware versions for a given recording device, change the ISO label...

03
Feb
2012

Dynamic Photo HDR 5.2.0 + RUS

Year of manufacture: 2011
Genre: Graphic editor
Developer: Mediachance
Developer's website: http://www.mediachance.com/
Interface language: English + Russian
Assembly Type: Standard
Bit depth: 32/64-bit
Operating system: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7
System requirements: - 1 GHz processor - 2 GB RAM - 1 GB free space - 1024 x 768 screen resolution (recommended above)
Description: Dynamic Photo HDR is a program for creating and editing dynamic HDR photos. Easy to use, allows you to create HDR from one photo, add various effects, which is especially...

11
Apr
2011

Quintessential Media Player 5.0 + RUS + Skins

Year of manufacture: 2011
Genre: Multimedia player
Developer: Quinnware
Developer website: http://www.quinnware.com/
Interface language: Russian + English
Platform: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7
Description: Quintessential Player - audio/video player. QMP is not demanding on system resources, produces good sound, supports plugins and skins, and has good visualizers. The program plays all major audio formats: MP3, CD Audio, Ogg Vorbis, WAV, VQF, MP+, Windows Media. You can also listen to Internet radio, watch videos (the appropriate codecs must be installed on the system) and rob discs...

01
Jul
2011

Foxit Reader 5.0.1.0523 + RUS

Year of manufacture: 2011
Genre: Working with PDF
Developer: Foxit Corporation
Developer website: http://www.foxitsoftware.com/
Interface language: English + Russian
Assembly Type: Standard
Bit depth: 32/64-bit
Operating system: Windows XP, Vista, 7
System requirements: 1.3 GHz or faster processor. 64 MB RAM (Recommended: 128 MB RAM or greater). 52 MB of available hard drive space. 800x600 screen resolution.
Description: Foxit Reader is a professional program for reading PDF files. The peculiarity of Foxit Reader is the relatively small size of the distribution kit and fast operating speed, which undoubtedly...

20
Apr
2011

MOBILedit! 5.0.2.1015 Final + RUS

Year of manufacture: 2011
Genre: Mobile phone management
Developer: COMPELSON Labs
Developer's website: http://www.mobiledit.com/
Interface language: English + Russian
Platform: Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 7
System requirements: CPU: Pentium 300 MHz or higher RAM: 128 MB or more HDD: 59 MB or more
Description: MOBILedit! - a unique modular program that allows you to control your mobile phone from a personal computer via Bluetooth, infrared or cable. You can easily copy photos from your phone or load your favorite ringtones, logos, MP3s, and view...

16
Jan
2013

Free FLV Player V.4.5.0.0 4.5.0.0 Portable

Year of manufacture: 2011
Genre: Media Player
Developer: Sakysoft s.r.lt
Developer's website: http://www.flvplayer4free.com/
Interface language: Russian
Build Type: Portable
Bit depth: 32/64-bit
Operating system: Windows XP, Vista, 7
Description: FLVPlayer4Free is a free player for video files in the FLV format. This format is used by such popular services as YouTube, Google Video, VKontakte, RuTube and many others. The player allows you to view both saved files on your computer disk and directly from the Internet, without the need to install additional flash components...

USB Disk Security 5.4.0.12 + RUS

Year of manufacture: 2010
Genre: Antivirus for flash cards
Developer: Zbshareware Lab
Developer website: www.zbshareware.com
Interface language: English + Russian
Platform: Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 7
Description: USB Disk Security is an innovative software that provides you with 100% protection against malware and viruses distributed through removable media (USB flash drives, memory cards, external hard drives and other media connected via a USB port). The program is easy to use, undemanding of system resources and belongs to the “set it and forget it” category. The program is complete...