Folder colour icons location

FA 0 Reputation points
2026-06-05T07:28:23.68+00:00

Hi there,

I used to be able to change folder colours by right-clicking the folder, more options, change folder colour.

Now this option has disappeared, however the coloured folders remain.

Where are those icons stored so that I can manually change them?
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Windows for home | Windows 10 | Desktop, Start, and personalization | Desktop
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  1. DaveM121 928.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-06-05T08:04:59.9533333+00:00

    Windows has never supported changing the color of folders in File Explorer, your screenshot indicates you must have previously had a 3rd party utility like 'Folder Colorizor 2' or the free 'Folder Icon Change' app from the Microsoft Store installed to enable changing the color of folders in File Explorer.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-06-05T07:28:42.4366667+00:00

    Windows does not provide a built‑in feature to recolor folder icons, and the default folder icon itself cannot be customized. The colored folder icons shown are therefore not stored as part of the standard Windows icon set; they come either from a third‑party tool or from custom shortcut icons.

    According to the documentation, the default folder icon cannot be changed directly in Windows Explorer. The supported method is to create a shortcut to a folder and then assign a different icon to that shortcut. Those shortcut icons are stored wherever the .ico (or other icon‑containing) files are located, not in a central Windows folder. Common locations include:

    • The file that was chosen when selecting Change Icon (for example, C:\Windows\System32\shell32.dll), which contains many built‑in icons.
    • Any custom .ico files that were browsed to and selected when changing the icon.

    To inspect or manually change an icon for a folder shortcut:

    1. Right‑click the shortcut that displays the colored folder.
    2. Select Properties.
    3. Go to the Shortcut tab (if available) and choose Change Icon.
    4. In the Change Icon dialog, note the File name field. This shows the path where the current icon is stored (for example, C:\Windows\System32\shell32.dll or a custom .ico file).
    5. To change the icon, select a different one from that file, or select Browse and point to another .dll, .exe, or .ico file that contains the desired icon.

    If the Change Icon dialog shows no icons, use Browse and open C:\Windows\System32\shell32.dll, which contains the standard Windows icon set.

    Because Windows does not support changing the default folder icon globally, any remaining colored folders are either shortcuts with custom icons or artifacts from third‑party software. Their icons are stored in the files referenced in each shortcut’s Change Icon dialog, not in a single shared location.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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