How To Set Up An Icon

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This wikiHow teaches you how to create a shortcut icon for a Windows computer. Desktop shortcuts typically utilise predetermined icons, merely you can create your ain icon by using an online converter. If yous'd similar to create a unproblematic, blackness-and-white icon from scratch, you can use Microsoft Pigment instead .

1
Open the ICO Convert website. Go to http://icoconvert.com/ in your calculator's spider web browser.
- This website allows you lot to create an icon out of whatsoever image file on your computer.
2

Click Cull file . It's a grey button near the top of the folio. A File Explorer window will open.

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3

Select a moving-picture show. Go to the location of the picture you want to utilise as your Windows icon, and then click the picture to select it.
4

Click Open up . Information technology's in the bottom-right corner of the window. Doing so will prompt the flick to upload to ICO Catechumen.
5

Click Upload . This selection is in the middle of the ICO Convert window. Your moving-picture show will appear on the page later on a few seconds.
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Crop your photo. Click and drag across the area of your photo that you want to use as the icon.
- The area selected area will ever be square.
- You can move the entire crop selection by clicking and dragging the eye of it, or you tin enlarge or compress the crop choice by clicking and dragging ane of its corners.
7

Scroll downwards and click Select None . It'due south a link below the photo. This will foreclose the icon from taking on a dissimilar shape, which can cause compatibility issues on some computers.
8

Make sure you lot're using the ICO format. Coil down and cheque the "ICO for Windows 7, Windows eight, Vista and XP" box.
9

Scroll down and click Convert ICO . Y'all'll find this selection near the bottom of the page.
10
Click Download your icon(due south) . Once this choice appears at the bottom of the page, clicking it will cause your icon file to download. Once it finishes downloading, y'all tin can proceed with applying the icon to a shortcut.
- It'southward a proficient thought to place the icon file in a binder where it won't be deleted or moved (for example, the Pictures folder) before applying it to a shortcut.
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one
Understand the drawbacks of this method. While Paint tin can be used to create a bones icon, its transparency will be afflicted; this means that some colors won't prove upwardly in your icon. For all-time results, utilize black and white colors to create your Windows icon in Paint.
- If yous want a more circuitous icon, you lot can describe the icon in Pigment and save it as a JPG file and so apply ICO Convert to create an icon.
2
Open Paint. Paint is a program included on all Windows computers; y'all can use Paint to create a simple Windows icon. To open Paint, do the following:
- Open Start
- Type in pigment
- Click Paint at the summit of the Kickoff card.
iii

Enable gridlines. Click the View tab at the acme of the Pigment window, then bank check the "Gridlines" box at the top of the window. Later you've washed this, make certain you click the Abode tab to return to the main Paint interface.
4
Resize your sail to an icon size. On the Home tab, do the following:
- Click Resize
- Check the "Pixels" box.
- Uncheck the "Maintain aspect ratio" box.
- Blazon 32 into both the "Horizontal" and "Vertical" text boxes to create a 32x32 sheet.
  - 96x96 is another normally used icon size.
- Click OK
5
Zoom in. Since your canvas is relatively tiny, click the + icon in the bottom-correct corner of the window until your canvas is large enough for yous to work freely.
- For a 32x32 sail, yous'll probably need to zoom all the way in (800 percent) to piece of work.
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Draw your icon. In one case your sheet is the proper size and scale, you're costless to brainstorm drawing your icon as you please.
- Design experts recommend making icons simple, vibrant, and easy to read. Remember that your icon will be much smaller when information technology'south on your desktop, and so try non to add too many tiny words or details.^[1]
- You lot will almost likely have to resize the brush yous're using. Y'all can do this past clicking the list of horizontal lines at the top of the Domicile tab and and so selecting a thinner line in the resulting drop-down bill of fare.
- Drawing an icon with a mouse can be a frustrating and inefficient process. If possible, use a drawing pad to create your icon.
7

Click File . It'south in the tiptop-left corner of the window. A drop-downwardly carte du jour will appear.
8

Select Save equally . You'll observe this pick in the middle of the drop-down menu. Selecting it prompts a pop-out bill of fare.
9

Click Other formats . It'due south at the bottom of the popular-out carte du jour. Doing so opens a new window.
10
Enter a name and the ".ico" tag. In the "File proper name" text box almost the lesser of the window, you'll type in whatsoever you desire to name your icon file, followed past .ico to signal that the file should exist saved as an icon.
- For example, to proper name your icon file "Minecraft", you lot would type in Minecraft.ico here.
11

Click the "Save as blazon" drop-down box. You'll find this box at the lesser of the window. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu.
12

Click 256 Color Bitmap . It'due south in the drop-downwardly carte du jour.
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Select a relieve location. On the left side of the window, click a folder in which you want to save the icon file (e.thousand., Pictures).
- Information technology's all-time to save your icon file in a location where you know information technology won't motility or accidentally be deleted, every bit moving or deleting the icon file will crusade whatever shortcut using the file to lose its icon.
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Save your icon. Click Salvage in the lower-right corner of the window, and then click OK in the pop-upward window which appears. Your icon volition be saved in your selected location. At this point, you lot're free to apply your icon.

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i
Understand where you can use your icon. Icons can be applied to any shortcut. Shortcuts, which are links to EXE files, are typically found on the desktop, though yous can apply an icon to whatever shortcut.
- The one exception to the shortcut rule is the "This PC" app icon on the desktop. While y'all tin can create a shortcut of This PC and then edit its icon, the This PC icon on the desktop cannot be edited.
- If yous don't take a shortcut for a program, you can brand i earlier proceeding.
2

Right-click a shortcut'south icon. Doing and so volition prompt a drop-down menu.
three
Click Backdrop . It's at the bottom of the driblet-downward menu.
- If you instead see Personalize at the lesser of the list, click once the icon then right-click information technology again.
four
Click Change Icon… . You'll run into this option at the bottom of the window.
- If yous don't see this option, start click the Shortcut tab at the top of the window.
5

Click Browse… . It's in the upper-right corner of the pop-upwardly window. Doing so opens a File Explorer window.
6

Select your icon file. Go to the icon file's location, so click the icon file yous want to use.
seven

Click Open . Information technology'southward in the bottom-right corner of the window.
eight

Click OK . This is at the lesser of the window.
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Click Apply , then click OK . Doing so closes the open windows and applies your icon to the selected shortcut.
- To create a shortcut with your icon, left-click on the item you want to create a shortcut for, then right-click on that detail and click "Create Shortcut."^[2]
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Question

How do I create a shortcut icon?

Yaffet Meshesha is a Computer Specialist and the Founder of Techy, a full-service computer pickup, repair, and delivery service. With over eight years of feel, Yaffet specializes in computer repairs and technical support. Techy has been featured on TechCrunch and Time.

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Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert reply.

To create a shortcut to any program or file, left-click on that item, then right-click on it and click "Create Shortcut." A shortcut of that file or plan volition exist made in the same file path that tin then be moved to anywhere on your computer.
Question

How can I switch back to the traditional Excel icon?

Do the same process, but when selecting an icon just select the Excel.exe file and information technology will extract the icon from the application.
Question

Why do Windows 10 icons compress and expand on their ain?

It might be that you held CTRL and scrolled. That changes the icon size, like zooming on a spider web browser.
Question

When I click on my icon it says, "No icon found in the file." What can I practice?

Elevate the file back into the correct spot, right click it, and cull "create shortcut." So elevate the shortcut to the desktop.
Question

What do I do to remove the blackness background of an icon and make information technology transparent?

If y'all have pigment.net (a useful tool for images), yous can utilize the magic wand to remove the black background.
Question

Will this work on Windows 10?

Yes, merely make certain to turn on the 'all files' search pick.

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The primary icon resolutions are 16x16, 24x24, 32x32, 48x48, and 64x64. 32x32 and 96x96 are the most ordinarily used sizes.^[3]
In a pinch, you can also observe icons online to download. But make certain you only download from sites you trust.

Download any software or images at your own risk. Always use antivirus and anti-malware software to protect your PC.

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Commodity Summary X

1. Detect or draw an image.
2. Go to https://icoconvert.com.
three. Click Choose File.
4. Select the image and click Open.
v. Click Upload.
6. Ingather the image.
7. Click Select None.
eight. Select ICO for Windows.
9. Click Convert ICO.
10. Click Download your icon(southward).