That’s the thing: Generally speaking, developers of Mac apps often take good care of software icons.
However, there are a few reasons why you might want to change the icon for one app or another: sometimes a program that is heavily used in your day-to-day lives has its identity changed and you can not get used to the new look. Or you download an app with a downright horrible icon. Or you simply want to highlight a folder that opens every day with a custom image.
Fortunately, all of this is possible in macOS – and it’s very easy to change the icon of the application or folder you want. Below, we show the path of the stones.
- Save the image you want to use as an icon. Prefer the PNG format, and make sure it has the transparent background and more or less square proportions – although this is not required, a very disproportionate image or solid background will seem out of place in the macOS interface.
- Open the image in Preview and press
⌘Ato select it in full. Then press⌘Cto copy it. - Locate the folder or application whose icon you want to change. Right click on it and select “Get Info” (or press
⌘I). - In the window that will open, click once on the icon displayed in the upper left corner, so that it has a blue border around it.
- Click
⌘Vto paste the desired image. It will be applied automatically – if necessary, enter your system administrator password (or authenticate via Touch ID).
Ready! Your icon is properly changed. To return it to the original at any time, simply reopen the item information window, select the custom icon, and click Deleteto delete the image.
Enjoy!
