How to change app icons and folders on Mac?
What icons can be changed?
Unfortunately, not all app icons can be changed as this is only allowed with third-party icons. In fact, some of them have an option already integrated into their settings to be able to change it to some other suggestion from the developers, although not in most of them. In any case, native applications do not allow you to change the icon, or at least not through the methods we are about to explain, although one of the folders can be changed.
Where to change icons in macOS
There is no section in Mac preferences that allows you to change the icons of several applications and folders at the same time. For this reason, you will have to change it one by one, but it will be very easy if you follow these steps:
- Copy the photo you saved on your Mac, either your own or downloaded from the Internet. We recommend that you open it with a preview, go to the Edit menu in the toolbar and click Copy.
- Navigate to the location of the folder or application you want to customize and click its icon a second time, then click Get Info. If this application you should go to the Applications folder, since it will not work from the dock.
- Select the application or folder icon that appears at the top of the pop-up window and click cmd + v to insert it.
- Now enter your Mac administrator password to allow changes.
Why aren’t my changes showing up in the dock?
If you changed the icon correctly and do not appreciate the changes in the dock or any other part, our advice for fixing this problem is to remove it from that part, restart your Mac and return this icon to the place where it was before. This will ensure that the changes you made have already been applied.
Two guidelines for using images
While you can use all sorts of images for icons, whether they are square or not, it is recommended that they look like they are weird and not match the Mac aesthetic. It is also recommended that they be in .PNG format and have a transparent background so that the white background is not visible on the icon and looks ugly.
What other icons can I put?
If an existing app or folder already has an icon that you want to reuse in another app, you can do that too. To do this, you have to click Get Info on the original icon you want to have, copy the specified icon with cmd + c and follow the same steps as above to paste it into another application you want to accept. …
Return to original icon
If you want to restore the original item that was previously in the application, you will need to click Get Info in the application or folder you want to restore, select the icon at the top of the window and click cmd + x cut it out. This is not necessary after you paste it anywhere, as it will already help you remove the new icon you placed.
