How to Change Folder Icon on Mac

We all know that Apple products aren’t as easy to customize as Windows or Android devices. They’re so user-friendly that you often don’t need to make changes to the default macOS look.

However, you can change the folder icon on a Mac, and I’ll explain how in this article.

Before we start:

With lots of folders on your Mac, it’s easy to lose track of files. You might even forget that you’ve saved a file in one folder and save it again somewhere else.

Fortunately, MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder can help you find and remove duplicate files, freeing up space on your computer.

To use MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder:

1. Download MacKeeper and follow the on-screen instructions to install it.
2. Open the app and choose Duplicates Finder.
3. Select Start Scan.
4. When the scan is complete, click on Duplicates.
5. Select the files you want to remove and click Remove Selected.

Why change folder icons on Mac

You might want to change folder pictures on your Mac for a few reasons. Perhaps you’re bored of seeing the same default icon or need to include corporate branding. Or, maybe you want to make certain folders particularly stand out in Finder.

After all, lots of us have hundreds of folders on our Macs—and we need to know exactly where our important files are.

Changing folder icons on Mac can help you keep track of files in the future. But what about the files you’ve already got?

A note from our experts: 

If you’re anything like me, your folders aren’t as organized as they could be, so you can easily forget where files are. I often find duplicate files on my MacBook, and they take up far too much space. I try to clean up my desktop on Mac regularly, but files elsewhere on my computer get forgotten.

That’s why I started using MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder. It searches your Mac for duplicated files and similar photos, helping you remove unnecessary extras. When I scanned my MacBook with Duplicates Finder, it found 1.44GB of duplicate files and over 37GB of similar photos!

To find duplicate files on your Mac:

1. Open MacKeeper and select Duplicates Finder.
2. Click Start Scan.
3. After the scan has finished, click on Duplicates and Similar Photos to choose the items you want to remove.
4. Click Remove Selected.

How to edit folder icon on Mac

It’s pretty simple to change a folder icon on Mac. Basically, you’ll need to find the image you want to use as the folder icon, copy it, apply it to your folder, check it, and then you’re done!

I’ll talk you through each step as we go along.

If you want to change folder images on Mac for a consistent digital look, you might also want to customize some other areas of macOS. Find out how to change lock screen on Mac, so you can enjoy seeing your own custom images there too.

1. Find icon you want to use

First, you’ll need to know which image you want to use. It doesn’t matter whether you want to use a photo, clipart, or even an emoji!

There are a few things to remember when you’re picking an image to use as a folder icon:

• The image will be small when used as a folder icon, so choose a picture that is recognizable even at a smaller size.
• The picture will be seen before you open the folder, so be mindful of privacy—if multiple people use your MacBook, don’t choose an image that’s private or sensitive.

If you don’t have an image in mind but just want your folders to look different, find out how to change folder color on Mac.

2. Copy image or icon to use as folder icon

Once you’ve chosen your image, you’ll need to copy it. For this example, I will use a picture of my rabbit. I’ll show you how to copy it from Preview or a web browser.  

To copy an image from Preview to change folder image on Mac:

1. Find the image in Finder, double-click on it, or right-click and choose Open With > Preview.app.
2. Right-click on the image in the Preview app, and choose Copy Image.

How to copy an image from a browser to change folder picture on Mac:

1. Right-click on the image and choose Copy Image.

3. Apply new icon to your folder

Now that the picture is in your clipboard, you can change the folder icon on Mac.

To change folder image on Mac:

1. Find the folder, right-click on it, and choose Get Info. (If you can’t right-click, select the folder and press Command+I.)
2. Click on the small folder icon at the top of the Get Info screen.
3. Press Command+V to paste the copied image.

4. Verifying folder icon change

Once you’ve followed the previous steps to edit the folder icon on Mac, you should see the folder image change immediately.

What to do if folder icons are not changing

But what if you’ve followed the instructions to change the folder icon on Mac, and it hasn’t worked?

An extra tip from us: If your folder icons aren’t changing or only changing to a generic icon or symbol, ensure you’re copying the image correctly. Copy it from Preview or a web browser rather than straight from Finder.

If you can’t change folder images on Mac but still want to find documents easily, check out our article on how to organize files on Mac.

Conclusion

You can change folder icons on Mac to make it easier to find files in the future. It’s a simple process, and you don’t need any extra tools or special commands to do it.

But, if you’re worried about file organization and want to keep on top of what’s stored on your Mac, check regularly for unnecessary files. MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder can help, helping you easily find and remove duplicated documents and similar photos.