- Modifying Mac System Icons. Modifying system icons is generally not recommended, particularly for novice users. If you have any intention on changing a system icon or several of them, do back up the original.icns files first, and preferably, back up the entire Mac beforehand with Time Machine or your backup method of choice.
- For example, you can change the text size of file names and, in some views, change the size of file icons. On your Mac, click the Finder icon in the Dock to open a Finder window. Select the folder you want to change, then click a View button: Icon, List, Column, or Gallery.
When it comes to Mac folders, a lot of skeptics will say there is nothing really spectacular or interesting about them. I bet you will change your mind when you truly understand how to customize and appreciate the loads of things you can do with the icons on your desktop. Ordinarily, the default folder itself is cool and you can pick it out almost immediately as it can stand out from any background without calling too much attention to itself.
You can change the icon of just about any file, folder, volume, or application in Mac OS X. This is an easy way to customize the appearance of items in the file system, and it can be a fun way to add a customized look to the desktop and home folder on a Mac. Select the folder whose icon you want to change and press Cmd+i to open that folders Info panel. Open the image you want to use for the folder's icon in Preview. Press Cmd+a (to select it).
What happens if you have too many folders on the desktop? I guess, you will be confused and it would be difficult to distinguish one from the other when they all look alike. This is why we need to learn how to customize our folders. Apart from making it easy for you to be able to distinguish one folder from the other, it also gives your folders some form of personality. You can decide a specific type of look on your display and this can be done by changing the looks of the application icons. It means you can create a classy look for your display at the same being able to pinpoint exactly different folders.
Changing Folder Icons
If you want to change the folder icons you need to follow these steps carefully. Go over to the icon file you want to change, double-click on it and a preview will open up. You need to know that in every single icon file there are copies of the same icon. The only catch is they are of different sizes. This different size of the icons actually allows you to resize the folders to whatever size you want without the custom icon becoming pixilated. In the preview, click “Edit”, then “Select All” after which you need to click on “Edit” again, then “Copy”. Now you can close the preview window.
Change Icon Folder Mac Os X
Move to the folder you need to customize and right-click on it, pick the “Get Info” and alternatively select the folder. Now press command + 1. You will see that an info pane appears where you have to click on the folder icon beside the title in bold. At this point, you will be seeing a blue highlight surrounding the icon. Click on “Edit” then “paste”. Now both icons (small and large) would have updated to the new design. Time to exit the info pane and your icons are placed in the metadata already so it’s safe to move the icons to thrash if you want.
The processes described above work on most folders but not on Mac system folders. Also, shared sync folders like Dropbox or Box folders do not work smoothly with custom icons. Just leave them the way they are.
Changing Application Icons
If you paid attention to the method described above you will notice it’s simply a copy and paste procedure. Applications, however, do not comply with this method that works with folders. If you need to change the application icons you will need to enlist the help of a special app called Litelcon. This app can be downloaded free and it will show you the list of apps it can customize. Another good thing about the app is that it works outside the box so do not worry about you having to download anything else. Safari 11 and Finder are “native” protected Mac apps and are absent from the list of apps that can be customized using Litelcon. To change icons all you need is to drag and drop the icon file over the target app and click on “Apply Changes”.
There may be times when the app can change inside the Litelcon but not on your Dock. In this case, close the app and drag it out of the Dock till it is not found. Now, check for the app in your Applications and when you find it drag it back to your Dock. If the icon still isn’t changed open Applications >> Utilities >> Terminal and type in this command:
killall Dock
Then press Return.
The use of Litelcon also extends to the icons for volumes, talking about internal and external hard drives, USBs, DVDs, and compact discs. Just follow the same process as described above. One more thing when the icons are changed they remain so even if the Litelcon app is deleted. Guess, I am not the only one thinking to keep this app close by.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Whether you want to make your desktop look more colorful or you just want to play around, the macOS has certain features that will allow you to change the color of the folders on your Mac.
Adding some cool colors to the folders can be useful for you to identify certain types of folders. Maybe you want to keep some folders in different colors to give your desktop a cool look or at least want a change in your desktop for some days, you can do it easily with this quick tutorial.
How To Change Folder Colors On Your Mac
To change the folder color, follow these steps below.
- Create a Folder in any location you want in the Finder.
You can also use an existing folder, I’m using a new folder just to show you this tutorial.
- Right-click on the folder that you choose and click on Get Info.
A window with Folder info will be displayed.
- Click on the folder icon next to the folder name on the top.
- Click Edit -> Copy from the menu bar or use the keyboard shortcut Command + C.
Desktop Folder Icons
- Now open Spotlight search using Command + Space and type Preview to open the Previewapp on your Mac.
- With the Preview app open, click File -> New from Clipboard from the menubar.
The folder icon you just copied will be pasted in the preview for editing. We will just edit the color of the folder and paste it back into the Get Info to get the new icon in color.
- Click the Show Markup Toolbar button as shown to reveal the editing options in the Preview.
- Choose the Adjust Color tool as shown below, it looks like a prism with light shining through.
- Use the sliders to tweak the colors of the folder icon as per your liking.
I used the Sepia slider all to the right to add the Sepia effect to the folder. Change the colors using the Tint, Temperature, Saturation sliders as well as make use of the other sliders.
- Once you are done with the coloring, choose Edit -> Select All from the menu bar after clicking on the image. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Command + A to select.
- Press Command + C to Copy the new folder icon.
Head back to the Get Info tab you have opened earlier.
- Once again click on the folder icon next to the folder name and hit Command + V to Paste the new colored folder icon over the old one.
You have successfully changed the color of the folder. You can do this coloring to more folders as per your wish. You may also use other image editing tools such as Photoshop if you don’t want to use the built-in Preview app or you want more editing options.
Preview app gives you basic options for changing the color of the folder which is enough for this tutorial to explain. Since the Preview app is the default app to view the photos and videos on the Mac, you have the option to change the default apps to your liking.
If you are being comfortable using the Mac keyboard shortcuts, you should also want to check out these 11 hidden keyboard shortcuts that will make you a power user.
Changing Icon For Folder Mac Os
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Mac Desktop Icons
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