Windows 11 Folder custom Icon Issue

William (Bill?),

Well, that looks devastating for me. ALL of my (Thousands) of folder pictures are .jpg. Why? Because just putting a folder.png file in the folder was not supported. If I have to go back and reassign a photo to every folder, ... well that would be very labor intensive and very bad. I'm pretty sure that there are millions of people who are in the same boat. Sadly, most of them will not complain directly to Microsoft or use the suggestion portal. Mostly because they either don't know how, or that the portal even exists. I think Microsoft relies on that. "Look, we only got a thousand complaints/requests, and that's not enough." All the while, Artists, Photographers, Videographers, Collectors, Small businesses, Inventory Managers... (The list goes on and on.) either have to spend hundreds of thousands of hours "Adapting", or give up very frustrated because they believe (perhaps rightly so) that they have no recourse.

I find Microsoft's general apathy toward the "Average User" appalling. Change; downgrade; corrupt established user functionality/usability and habits based upon YEARS of using their Windows product/OS/UI; leave chaos in their wake for millions and millions of people, and say,

 "Live with it. Isn't what we did wonderful? No? Perhaps YOU just need to get used to a new way of working, and adapt to US. Our way it the better way. You'll see... How you've done it in the past for years and years and are comfortable with is gone. We adapted the UI/OS to the way WE think you should work. Leaving Windows configurable to the way YOU work (the way it was) takes up to much space. Just get used to it!" "We didn't like the way you were comfortable with anyway."

   Perhaps that fictitious snipe was a LITTLE over the top.    .....but maybe not.

Missing folder.jpg and need a new computer with Windows 10? Have you tried to purchase a Windows 10 computer at a retail store? I have. There are NONE available. The Retail answer? Spend over a hundred dollars more for the windows 10 software, and even more if you want them to install it. If you are an "Average User" and don't want to pay, good luck getting it on your brand new computer. Yes.... The (unsuspecting) "Average User" will not even ask about getting Windows 10 on their computer. They will get home, unbox and set up their brand new computer fresh from the store before they they realize that it doesn't work the way (or as well as) their old one and some things (very frustratingly) have vastly changed.

I wonder if the desk jockeys at Microsoft snigger as they make their changes that DON'T actually upgrade usability or functionality (and in some cases detract from it.). They make changes for the sake of changes, and send it out the door, saying, "Boy! this'll throw-em a curveball!!!" Or..... Perhaps they take pride in their (Useless?) changes and downgrades and just don't care what havoc it causes long established users after it goes out the door. "Users! Paa!!! They'll get over it or stay a long time mad. heheeh!"

On another note; No... I will not get sick of you. You offer constructive advice, and seem knowledgeable. Besides. I like whining, and actually listening to what other people have to say. Even if they are just complaining (like me). I like to think I'm a sympathetic ear; and perhaps... just perhaps... I might be able to say something constructive that will help someone else also. Yes, I come to these sites for answers (and sometimes hacks, kludges, or work-arounds), to the wounds that Microsoft left in the latest iteration; but it seems these "Boards" are a wonderful place to vent to people that will understand what I'm talking about. Even if they disagree, and tell me so. Some who disagree (the smart ones.) will tell me WHY they disagree, and perhaps point me toward another perspective that I may not have considered. Even if we still disagree, it's always good to try to see things from another persons perspective.

I've been told that sometimes Microsoft Employees might even read (a small fraction of) posts on this forum, and I hope they see the object of my ire with their "Downgrades and (Useless?) Changes". In the Far more likely event that nobody from Microsoft reads my words of discontent; perhaps someone will agree with, and see merit in what I have to say and second, or pass their "Concerns" up the "Official" Microsoft chain. Hey! It only took several years to get the up arrow in Windows Explorer back. Restore folder.jpg? Who knows? :D

Note: Quotes are based on a perceived opinion and are not official statements or quotes from Microsoft.

Me too on 8&11.

Fellow here, DavidMorrison said it was deliberately turned off, while 11’s in development.

Say’s it’ll be back with the Fall Version. I hope so!

I’m reading folder names now, rather than going by sight, which is much faster for someone that’s old.

I pray they’re not those folders with halfa a pic showing!

Reminds me of kids walking around with their pants half down to their knees.

‘Guess we wait for November?

I’m right where you are Windows Version-wise. ‘cept I have Pro. Thanks!

P.S. Got the H2 update today; installing now. Let’s hope it’s what we need! wlt.

I would have to create custom Icons for literally thousands of folders. I've known about this feature for a while, but it's more labor intensive than just labeling a picture folder.jpg. This method has worked for artists, photographers, videographers, musicians and collectors going all the way back to XP. To suddenly take away this compatibility and instruct users to go through (Not exaggerating) hundreds or even thousands of hours of labor to update archives is beyond irresponsible. If I make an Icon of a picture, there is nothing besides my knowledge to identify it as a folder. While I can make an Icon of a folder with the proper picture on it, the time it would take for ONE Icon would be considerable. All of this, because somebody in an office somewhere who either doesn't use this feature, or doesn't use it extensively decided to take it away, disregarding the (probably) millions who do.

BTW - Although it is very outdated, I too loved XP.

William, I chose a picture for a folder on my network drive and it never displayed. Again... I would have to go through thousands of folders to have them display properly, even if this (Good information, thanks) had worked. Your way to display a picture on a folder would have saved me a lot of time rather than creating individual Icons. Also tried on local drive. Still no picture. did this work for you?

William,

Good news. I was playing with ResHacker and managed to do the following by hacking IconGroup6.

Folder #1 is assigned a custom image -- folderlogo.jpg.

Folder #2 has a file named folder.jpg inside.

Folder #3 not customized, it shows the preview of folder contents. That folder has a vbs, zip, jpg, and log file, but it managed to show only the script file icon/thumb in the preview.

Now, compare the above image with the original ones I posted earlier.

FWIW.

Edit: By cropping the IconGroup6 even further, I think we can mimic the folder thumbnail like the one you posted.

Hello . . .

I think I got the new purpose of "Choose a file to show on this folder." Please see Ramesh's post on page 2 (in July) of this thread. You'll see the new result there. Half the folder is in the way of the picture file.

I'm afraid the old way (see the image below (roughly done!)) is/will be gone.

Hate it myself. Image needs to be .jpeg too, which Windows loves to not recognize after a length of time, but that's a whole 'nother issue.

I'm going back to Windows 10.