Custom Icons for Windows 11 Thread (Folders, Dropbox, Google Drive, Podcasts, NVME Drive, Steam, Adobe)

[davidhelp 0]

In my ongoing quest to keep Zune alive, I sought to create a custom matching Podcasts folder for Windows 11.

For those wondering where this folder comes from: when the Zune software is installed, a special Shell folder is also installed for podcasts (called "My Podcasts" by default) and is contained within the User folder. Since Windows 7 was the latest version of Windows when Zune was still being supported, its icon uses the Windows 7 style design. So since then, I've been updating it for each following version of Windows to match the folder icon style (see this TenForums post for example).

Old Windows 7-style icons from the Zune software:



Windows 11-styled podcast icon:

The aqua folder icon was nabbed from the imageres.dll via this method and I simply added a podcast icon from Syncfusion's MetroStudio in Photoshop and added a drop shadow to it. Then I used IcoFX to customize it at each size to get it to be perfect. Check out the .ICO file I made at each size:





In my pursuit I came across two unused folder icons: 3D Objects and OneDrive also, which inspired me to want to make more.



The attached .zip containing three .ico files: a custom Podcasts folder icon, and the OneDrive and 3D Objects icons included in Windows 11.

How to Install

1. Download the .zip attachment and extract its contents to a permanent location you can find later.
2. Locate your target folder by opening File Explorer and selecting This PC. Then navigate to C:\Users\[YOUR-USERNAME]\, or your other desired location.
3. Either find the folder that you'd like to customize or create a new folder.
4. Right click the target folder and select "Properties."
5. Under the "Customize" tab, select "Change Icon...".
6. Navigate to your custom .ico file and select it, and click Apply.
Note: it's recommended to find a permanent place to store your custom .ico files so they don't get moved.

I'm hoping this thread can become a hub for custom folder icons that match Windows 11's Fluent Design aesthetic. Looking forward to seeing what's made! I'll probably continue to add to this also.

Here's a Dropbox link to all of the custom icons I've made so far:

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

And here's a link to all of the default Windows 11 icons as of 7/7/2021.

Windows 11 Icons as of 7-7-2021

MediaFire is a simple to use free service that lets you put all your photos, documents, music, and video in a single place so you can access them anywhere and share them everywhere.

www.mediafire.com

7/30/2025 Update: I'm too lazy to update my download links, but @biyakuga made a version of the Podcasts icon with an actual fluent icon you should check out here:

biyakuga said:

It would be a good idea to use Fluent Design icons for your folders. For example, the Podcasts icon looks a bit off right now.

Here is an example I made

Click to expand...

I also created a Proton Drive folder you can use:

davidvkimball said:

Hello all, I've come back from the dead to bring you a Proton Drive folder icon.

I couldn't stand that it didn't match the other folders, so I changed it.

Before:
View attachment 140590

After:
View attachment 140591

Attached is the Proton Drive .ICO file as a zip.

And yes, there's a unique icon per pixel-width (254, 64, 40, 32, 24, 20, and 16).

Click to expand...

Lastly, I created a template with the folder layers separated for easy customization:

davidvkimball said:

While I'm at it, I might as well share the source files for the front and back folder parts on separate layers.

This allows creating custom folders to be very easy if you want one color for the back and a gradient or separate color for the front.

View attachment 140881

View attachment 140882

Click to expand...