Try making the icons larger to accommodate the picture. For example:
How do I get Classic Folder Icons Back?
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Anonymous
How can I get back the folder icons from windows xp? I need my folder icons to be flat square folders, which I can customize with one photo from inside the folder shown on the front? These open folders sitting sideways with documents and pictures falling out, are driving me crazy. I work with thousands of photos every day and need a quick simple way to identify what is inside each folder. Now I have to spend hours opening each folder and looking through the photos...such a waste of time. Why is such a simple folder icon gone in Windows 7? I need it back!
Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage
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Anonymous
Periwinkleblue,
Hello, I’m afraid that changing the file displayed/icon would be the closest choices for customizing the folder in the way you would like, short of possible third party tweaks.
If this is a feature you would like reinstated, please leave your suggestion at Windows 7 Feedback.
Lisa
Microsoft Answers Support Engineer
Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.
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Anonymous
2011-08-22T12:13:03+00:00 I want to XP folder options back too.
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Anonymous
2011-06-26T08:56:59+00:00 I have had the exact same problem (along with many others, it appears). I have tried various suggestions posted to this question, with out any success at all! I do not have a business to run but I liked my old XP folders for my embroidery designs just fine
- I have thousands! Now I too waste so much time looking for designs by having to open folders unnecesarilly - quite frankly I find most of W7 an utter waste of time. Why did Microsoft feel the need to get rid of something that actually worked! XP was a great product! Most people I know have a huge dislike of both Vista and W7, but as usual it's only ever about making money (for Microsoft that is). Computers, we were told was all about making life easier! Yes, well, we all know the truth there, don' we! Fine while they do what they're supposed to but when there's a glitch, even the designers can's come up with a solution - but we are forced into buying another upgrade or if our old computers are no longer viable, we are forced into buying a new one with a program that is useless -- great customer service!!
Now that I have that off my chest also, did you ever find a solution to getting those folders back a la XP? I am curious because these W7 folders and driving me crazy also.
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Anonymous
2011-05-24T12:35:27+00:00 correct. I can't understand why so much people are unwilling to accept changes.
"Change" for the sake of change, and stupid change at that, arbitrarily inflicted on your customers without recourse, is just rude and arrogant, even narcissistic. Do you people even understand the purpose of icons? Icons are supposed to clearly convey information without words. With Windows7 the new icons are pale, fuzzy, obscure, vague and dumb, and therefore fail in their intended purpose. For example, who stands a folder up on its end? No one, because the contents would spill out! So why portray a physical folder in a way no one would ever use it? The artsy-phartsy techno-bling of Windows7 is an annoying distraction that imposes on all users a pointless learning curve just to regain proficiency they already had in XP. Then there's Office 2007/2010 -- pure garbage and another pointless learning curve -- or more accurately, it's a RE-learning curve -- just to do what we already know how to do!