Applying an icon for a folder is one heck of a task on Windows. I made a little script which accepts any JPG/PNG/ICO file, converts it if needed and applies it as a folder icon. Its extremely easy to use. You just need to install Python 3.6 or higher. Usage/Installation instructions are given here. Works on Windows 7+, will work even on Vista maybe but idk. Open an issue/message me/post here if you face any problems
With free IrfanView you can save any pic as *.ico and easily use for any folder or link. Did this change with versions above Win7?
If I got it right Irfanview itself is working with a bunch of plugins (probably makes the coding easier) but the ico option comes with the default version.
Conversion is just a part of setting a folder icon. I didn't know irfanview could do this, but Windows needs BMP-based ICO files (there are PNG based ICO files as well, which don't work). Maybe Irfanview has support for that as well. As for why I am saying Windows 7+ is because I use the newer syntax for desktop.ini file which stores the name of icon. XP and below used a slightly different syntax, but nobody uses it now so I don't care. There are tools on GitHub which could be able to automate setting an ICO as a folder icon, there's even a shell extension I believe, but FolderIkon does it all. You can use URLs directly as well. Image will be downloaded, converted, resized and set as the icon.
OK, I installed Python 3.10. I did not see usage /installation instructions at that link. I did see a list of files, but had no way to know what to do. I could not see anything to download but then I found under the "Code" dropdown on the right an item that says 'Download ZIP". I did download it in case it is what i need. I unzipped that and see the items, including the README.md I then figured out that I needed to open the "README.md" with notepad and read it. I find a section that says: =========================== ## Installation Requires Python 3.6+ and Windows ``` pip install --upgrade folderikon ``` ============================ I don't know what that means. Do I need to know how to USE Python, or just to have it installed? I attempted to copy/paste "pip install --upgrade folderikon" into Python's windows but it gave an error about syntax: "SyntaxError: invalid syntax. Perhaps you forgot a comma?"
GitHub shows code files at the top and the README below. You don't need to download anything from there, its just a place to host code Once you have installed Python, open an admin CMD (just to make sure you don't run into permission issues) and enter the follow as it is Code: pip install --upgrade folderikon That will finish in about a couple of seconds. Once that's done, use cd and go to the folder you want to apply the icon to. If you want to apply an image named Cover.jpg, you enter Code: folderikon -i Cover.jpg If Cover.jpg is the only image in the folder, then you can directly enter Code: folderikon and Folderikon will find it and apply it as folder icon. You can get complete usage information by entering: Code: folderikon -h README.md is a MarkDown file, so the ``` are for formatting code section like we use [ CODE ]. Reddit uses it for formatting too. You can also use a URL directly without needing to download the image yourself. Only JPG/PNG and ICO work
Thanks! That did it. I DID have Python add to my OS paths, but I did not understand that I had to install folderikon via CMD line. (I had opened Python and tried to install via that, which failed of course.) I've used command-line a fair amount but long ago and rarely have used it in recent times..but i should be able to avoid mistakes Thanks again!
Yep, but (I assume) OPs script include creation of the mini-file that that you also need to put custom icons. Don't remember by heart but some kind folder.ini with just icon=picture.jpg inside. Some plugin installers put custom icons on folders. Blue Cat Audio's I think... Edited: just checked out the GH page. It also makes some Windows API call, probably for Windows Explorer to show immediately the icon Last edited: Oct 30, 2021
Code: [.ShellClassInfo] IconResource=Icon.ico,0 followed by setting that file as hidden and system and folder as readonly Code: attrib +h +s desktop.ini attrib +r .
Oh its so easy just rightclick on the folder you want to customize and have another folder icon And just choose propertys then choose customize and then choose change icon THREE very simple steps and that is a heck of a task? WOW: Of course you need an icon file prepared as windows cant handle big filesize photo files that have fileendings like JPG PNG etc. it needs to have a ICO filending. But converting JPG PNG etc to icon files is dead easy to do yourself just choose a program (i use any to icon) i have made thousands of folder icons with that program or just simply download icon files fron internet Of course there is alot of other pic to icon programs.
There are so many free icons already available, but it is fun to have your own, too. I was using Greenfish to make the .ico files.
Imagine I downloaded 5 sample packs. Assume all of them have cover images in JPG format. It will take approximately 45 sec - 1 min. for applying each icon. Lets approximate that to 3-5 min. total. If I move the iconized folder elsewhere, the icon won't show up because Windows stores the absolute path regardless of the location of the icon. You must know this since you have thousands of folder icons If I can simply do all this with a single command in 5sec. it will be done in 25 seconds. Time saved, right? FOUR actually, the icon will be hidden for you and you can pass an option to delete source image which makes it FIVE, but I used your example. Read README on GH, I wrote it here in brief, don't like to give long lectures
