Select All Files from the Window Explorer file drop-down list, and then open your new desktop icon. Then select the Properties > Browse options. When you have saved the icon, close Paint to return to the desktop.įrom the desktop right-click a shortcut icon to replace. You cannot add the new icon to the desktop with file types such as JPEG. To save the icon, select File > Save As and then choose 24-bit bitmap as the file type.

You can further enhance the icons with alternative editing packages, such as Paint.NET or Photoshop, if required. With those options you can lay out some basic icons such as the one in the shot below which is Sweden’s flag. The revamped Windows 7 Paint has a wider selection of shapes and brushes to select from. The Paint options most suitable for setting out a new icon are the brushes and shapes. Then you can layout your new icon design. Select a zoom setting such as 200% to expand the icon. Zoom in a little by selecting View > Zoom. Input 256 into both the Width and Height boxes, and click OK to close the window. From there you should select Pixels as the unit size. That should open the Attributes or Image Properties’ window. Those with Windows 7 Paint should click the downwards arrow next to the Home tab, and then select Properties. In Windows Vista Paint select Image and then Attributes. This can be done by selecting Start > All Programs > Accessories and the Paint shortcut to open. This guide is applicable on Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 8.1. We will discuss using Paint in this article but the process can be used with other image editors. The icons can also be further enhanced with alternative image editing software, if you wish. Paint is a package included with Windows that has suitable options for creating your own custom icons. In this article, we will show you how you can create your own custom shortcut icons and apply them to whatever program, file, folder, etc. You can add alternative desktop icons from websites or set up your own original icon set with image editing software.

Windows shortcut to save as