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Make your Computer YOUR Computer
By greg | January 20, 2008
Add Your Own Personal Flair Using Custom Icons in Mac OS X
I think we can all agree that Mac OS X is very aesthetically pleasing (better than *cough* Windows… though Vista does look nice. Wish we could say the same thing about it’s performance… ), but you can make it look even better! You can change the default folder icon, the trashcan icon, your hard drive icon, and so much more in just a matter of minutes, and it won’t cost you a penny.
If you look at the screenshot (above) I took from my computer desktop, you can see some of the custom icons I have put to use. I changed my external drive’s icon, Boot Camp drive’s icon, and my native Hard drive, too.
My custom Mail, TextEdit, and Address Book icons in the Dock.
Check out my screen-cast tutorial of changing Mac icons on YouTube.
First off, know that you can’t change all the icons (System icons) unless you download a third-party application like CandyBar by Panic. To begin with, here’s how you change single icons like Application icons, folders, and your hard drive(s). We’ll use the Mac Mail Icon as an example. We’re going to change it from the default bird in the dock, to the one I have above. The first thing you have to do is find an icon you want to replace it with. You can make your own, but to be honest, most of us (at least for me) don’t have the ability to make our own that actually match the amazing Mac aesthetics.
So for this example, we’re going to use other peoples. I’ve found the best place to find icons is at InterfaceLift. Find a set of icons you like, and download them to a place that’s easily accessible (like your desktop). Now navigate to the icon that you’re going to change. The easiest way to do this for dock icons is to right-click (ctrl-click) the icon to change and select “Show in Finder.â€Â
Once you find the icon, right-click and select “Get Info.†Now a new window should open with info relating to the icon / program (obviously). 
Now navigate to the icon that you want to replace it with. Again, right-click the icon and select “Get Info.†Now you should have two windows of the same type open (similar to below). Now’s the easy part. Click on the icon (in the top left of the window) that you’re going to be using to replace the old one with. A light-blue highlight should appear around the icon when it’s selected. Now copy the icon just as you would with text (right-click –> Copy or press Apple + C).
Next, click on the icon that’s going to be replaced. Once it’s highlighted, simply paste by pressing Apple + V or by Right-clicking –> Paste). Wah Lah! You’re pretty much done. If you’re just changing a folder icon or hard drive icon, you’re done. To change the icon in the dock, you have to do a couple more simple steps.
Now that the icon’s changed, you need to replace the one in the dock. Simply drag the old icon out of the dock (drag it anywhere outside of the dock) and release to delete the alias / shortcut. Now drag the new Mail icon (from Applications folder) to the dock. Congratulations! You now have your own personal dock icon for Mac Mail.
*Note: For some reason or another, if you open the program (Mac Mail) and quit using the keyboard shortcut Apple + Q, the custom icon will revert to default. I’m not sure if this is just a Tiger problem, or if it extended into Leopard. I’m sure there’s an easier way, but I’ve found that restarting the computer fixes this problem.
Related posts:
- Change the Default Folder/System Icons in Leopard OS X
- Exposé Just Got a Little Cooler & New Thumbnail Previews (Snow Leopard)
- Leopard OS X and VMware Fusion
- Save YouTube forever (and add it to your iPod)!
- Snow Leopard – First Impressions and SL’s (not) New Looks (Part 1b/2-Two OS Installations in Three Days)
- The QuickSilver Application – A Keyboard Enthusiast’s Dream
- Leopard Update – 10.5.2
- GimmeSomeTune – Free iTunes companion
Topics: Apple, Mac, Mac tips | 2 Comments »
May 3rd, 2008 at 1:23 am
I have found that a few apps do revert back to original icon when they are opened. I solved this by creating a folder, changing the folder icon to the icon I like and dropping it into the folder section of the dock (Right Side). When you open the folder you get the unwanted icon, click on that to open the app and when you close the app the icon disappears.
May 5th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Thanks for the response. Sounds a little quicker than doing a reboot.