macOS makes it pretty easy to customize Mac folder icons if you know where to look. If you don’t know where to look yet, you will by the end of this guide. Let’s get started.
How to change folder, app, and document icons on Mac How to restore Mac icon to default Can’t change your Mac icons? Here’s what to do
How to change folder, app, and document icons on Mac
We’ll use folders for this tutorial, but the same processes can be applied to apps and documents.
Using a picture stored on your Mac
Here’s what to do: And that’s how to change app icons on Mac. Not too confusing of a process once you get it down. Sometimes it’s a bit finicky—you may need to select and copy your image a few times more to be able to paste it. That’s all well and good, but what if you just want to change the color of your Mac folders?
Change Mac folder icon color
The procedure here is similar to pasting in an image, but it differs in a few places: That’s it! Enjoy creating and applying beautiful new colors to sort your data. Those are the two ways to customize your Mac folder icons. If you end up wanting to reset an icon to its default design, we’ve got you covered there too.
How to restore Mac icon to default
This is a quick and simple process: The icon is reset to default. If you want to change it again, just follow the original procedure. Apple operating systems are usually pretty bug-free. However, no software is without its flaws. If you can’t get your folder icons to change, we know of a few things you should check.
Can’t change your Mac icons? Here’s what to do
The process, for some reason, isn’t quite foolproof. We’ve found that trouble usually pops up when you try to copy an icon. It doesn’t always copy to your clipboard, so you can’t open it in Preview. Close out of all the tabs you opened, then restart from the first step in the process. We’ve also determined that using Cmd + C to copy the icon may be a more reliable option at times. If you’re trying to paste an image, but only get a file preview thumbnail, you probably didn’t use Edit → Select All in Preview. Let us know in the comments if you have a specific issue—we’ll try to work out a tailored solution. Wrapping up… We think changing Mac folder icons and colors are a fun and effective way to better organize your folders and files. What will you use this feature for? Have any other questions about your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or other Apple accessories? Ask us about them! The comments section is always open. We think you’d like:
How to change font size in Finder on Mac (Easiest way) Most useful Terminal commands for macOS Most common Mac viruses and how to remove them How to enable Night Shift Mode on Mac
