How do I get Classic Folder Icons Back?

Anonymous
2010-03-20T15:16:47+00:00

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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@CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2010-03-24T21:23:27+00:00

Try making the icons larger to accommodate the picture.  For example:

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Anonymous
2010-03-23T15:47:24+00:00

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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  1. Anonymous
    2014-02-26T16:45:50+00:00

    yeah, I tried that too. absolutely nothing happens. maybe it's a bug. I seem to remember it doing something on my desktop a long time ago, but it wasn't the same as XP, it just made it put that image at the front, but I could still only see a sliver of it :(

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-03-13T00:18:26+00:00

    Just want to add my voice to the many others who don't understand why folder icons were changed.  If there were a good reason for the change, I would accept it.  But this is one of a million different little annoyances in Windows 7 that really, really smack of change for the sake of change, not because it actually improves things.

    This is what the icon for a folder containing pictures looks like in XP:

    This is what the icon for the same folder looks like in 7:

    I defy somebody from Microsoft to explain how the Windows 7 icon is an improvement in some way over the XP icon.  In the 7 icon, I can only see two pictures, and they are both substantially cut off.

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  3. @CmdrKeene 90,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2014-03-13T00:30:21+00:00

    I can't imagine how it matters in the real world, unless you never ever have more than 4 pictures in your folders.

    I have 9,067 pictures (and counting), and the thumbnails aren't near as useful as the actual names:

    But alas, I am but one person with one opinion.  Since my opinion doesn't matter and I can do nothing to help the situation you face, I will gracefully leave this conversation.

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