How to Change Icon of a shortcut in Windows 10

In Windows 10, a feature is there in which you can customize the appearance of your windows. This feature is useful when you didn’t like the original...

Rahul Verma

Last updated on July 28, 2022

Rahul Verma

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Rahul is a Computer Science student with a massive interest in the field of Tech and cryptocurrency topics. He spends most of his time either writing or listening to music or traveling un-seen places. He believes that chocolate is the solution to all his problems. Life happens, and coffee helps.

In Windows 10, a feature is there in which you can customize the appearance of your windows. This feature is useful when you didn’t like the original pre-installed icon pack of Windows 10. It seems to be difficult for any user to change the icon of a shortcut in Windows 10. If you also wish to add a unique touch to your Windows 10 device or PC, then you are in the right place. Today, we have a guide with us on how to change the icon of a shortcut in Windows 10.

However, this feature currently available for those who updated their PC to Windows 10 November 2019 update or later. Unfortunately, if you have an older version of Windows 10, then there is no way to change the shortcut icon in Windows 10. So, go and first check your Windows 10 build and if there is any update available, then update it.

Change Icon of a Shortcut in Windows 10?

If you are curious about changing the icon of a shortcut in Windows 10, then follow the guidelines given below: –

Find Icons for Your Shortcut

Icons that you use for your shortcuts might be stored in various file types.

.ico – It is one of the best-known file format used for icons in Windows and only store one icon.
.exe – This file can be embedded into the executable files of a program, and it stores one or more icons.
.dll – In all files (dynamic-link library), a set of icons embedded and stores one or more icons.

A few .exe and .dll files might store icons, depending upon their developer that how they were created. At the same time, the .ico files always contain an icon. If you feel that the pre-installed icons don’t look as you want, you can download another one—more about downloaded icons at the end of this article.

Change the icon of a Shortcut to a file, app, folder, or program

First of all, create your shortcut and right-click on it.
A contextual menu will open, then what you have to do is simply click on properties.
Now, click on the shortcut tab, and you’ll see an option change icon. Click on it.
After that, a change icon window will open, you’ll see all the icons available in one of your Windows 10’s DLL files.
Choose the icon from the list as per your liking . When you’re done with this, simply click on OK.
Now, you’ll see that the icon replaces with your old icon in the shortcut properties window. Tap on OK and then Apply.
That’s it; now you will see your shortcut’s icon has now changed.

Remove the Shortcut arrow

No matter what icon you choose, you will always have an arrow icon, which represents that it is a shortcut. In an earlier version of Windows 10 built, it was possible to change it with Windows registry. But the recent version of Windows 10 does not allow users to remove this icon.

However, there are third-party softwares that can provide you with the service of removing the shortcut arrow easily. One such program which offers this service is
Ultimate Windows Tweaker4.7.1. With this software, you can remove the shortcut arrow as well as change file icons easily.

How to Change Icon of a shortcut in Windows 10

Change Icon of a Shortcut in Windows 10?

Find Icons for Your Shortcut

Change the icon of a Shortcut to a file, app, folder, or program

Remove the Shortcut arrow

Upload your own icon to a shortcut

Conclusion

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