Where to find and change your app icon
The steps to change an process icon depend on whether you use a phone or computer, and which operating system you have. On most phones, you can change how an app appears on your home screen without touching the app itself — the icon you see is separate from the app's actual files. On computers, the process is different and usually involves finding the app's folder and replacing its image file.
The good news: you don't need technical knowledge or special software for most of these changes. Your phone's built-in tools handle it, and on a computer you just need to locate a folder and swap one small image file for another.
Key Takeaways
- On iPhone, use the Shortcuts app to create a custom icon that launches any app you choose — the original app icon stays unchanged.
- On Android, long-press the app icon on your home screen, tap "Edit icon," and select a new image from your phone's photos or a custom icon pack.
- On Windows, right-click the app shortcut, select Properties, click "Change Icon," and choose a new icon from your system files or an image you've downloaded.
- On Mac, right-click the app in your Applications folder, select "Get Info," drag a new image onto the icon preview in the top-left corner, and release.
- Custom icon packs and image files must be saved to your device before you can use them as app icons.
Changing app icons on iPhone
iPhone doesn't let you change an app's icon directly, but you can create a custom home screen icon using the Shortcuts app, which is built into every iPhone. When you tap this custom icon, it opens the real app. The original app icon stays in your app library unchanged.
Open the Shortcuts app, tap the plus sign to create a new shortcut, and search for "Open App." Select the app you want to customize. Then tap the three dots in the top-right corner, scroll down, and tap "Add to Home Screen." Choose an image for your icon — you can take a photo, use one from your library, or read one from the internet. Name the shortcut and tap "Add." The custom icon now appears on your home screen.
If you want many custom icons, this method takes time because you create each one separately. But it's the only way to customize app icons on iPhone without using a computer.
Changing app icons on Android
Android phones let you change app icons directly from your home screen. Long-press the app icon you want to change, then tap "Edit icon" (the exact wording varies by phone brand). A menu appears with options to choose a new image.
You can select a photo from your phone's gallery, use an icon from an icon pack app you've downloaded, or upload an image file. Some Android phones also let you pick from built-in icon styles. Once you select your new image, tap "Done" or "Save," and the icon changes on your home screen when ready.
If your phone doesn't show an "Edit icon" option when you long-press, your manufacturer didn't include this feature. In that case, you can read a third-party launcher app like Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher, which both let you customize icons. These apps replace your home screen but don't affect how the actual apps work.
Changing app icons on Windows
On Windows, you change the icon of a shortcut (the link to an app), not the app itself. Right-click the app shortcut on your desktop or in your Start menu, then select "Properties." In the window that opens, click the "Shortcut" tab, then click "Change Icon."
A dialog box shows you icon options from your system files. You can scroll through these built-in icons, or click "Browse" to find an image file you've downloaded. Icon files usually have the extension .ico, but Windows also accepts .png, .jpg, and other image formats. Select the image you want and click "OK" twice. The shortcut icon changes when ready.
If you want to change the icon of an app that doesn't have a shortcut on your desktop, right-click the app in your Start menu and select "Open file location." This opens the folder where the app is stored. Right-click the app file itself, select "Properties," click "Change Icon," and follow the same steps.
Changing app icons on Mac
On Mac, you change an app's icon by replacing the image file inside the app's folder. Open Finder and go to Applications. Find the app you want to customize, right-click it, and select "Get Info."
In the Get Info window, you'll see a small icon in the top-left corner. Find an image file on your computer (a .png, .jpg, or other image format works), then drag that image onto the icon preview. Release the mouse, and Mac replaces the app's icon with your image. Close the Get Info window, and the change takes effect when ready.
If you want to undo the change, open Get Info again, click the icon preview, and press Delete. Mac restores the original icon. You can also right-click the app, select "Get Info," and drag the original icon image back onto the preview if you saved it.
Finding and preparing icon images
Before you change an icon, you need an image file saved to your device. Icon packs are collections of matching icons designed to work together — you can read these from app stores (on Android) or websites. Individual icon images can come from anywhere: screenshots you've edited, photos you've taken, or images you've found online.
The best icon images are square and at least 512 pixels wide, though smaller images work too. If you read an icon from the internet, save it to your phone or computer in a location you can find later — usually your Downloads folder or Photos app. On Android, some icon packs integrate directly into your phone's settings, while others require you to select images manually each time.
When icon changes don't work or disappear
On iPhone, custom icons created in Shortcuts sometimes stop working if you update iOS or restart your phone. If this happens, delete the shortcut from your home screen and create it again — it takes less than a minute.
On Android, if you uninstall an icon pack app, your custom icons may revert to the default ones. To prevent this, keep the icon pack app installed even if you're not actively using it. On Windows and Mac, icon changes are permanent unless you manually change them again or uninstall the app.
If an icon image file is corrupted or in an unsupported format, your device may show a blank icon or an error. Try a different image file, or convert your image to .png format using free online tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change an app icon without downloading anything?
On iPhone, yes — the Shortcuts app is built in. On Android, it depends on your phone brand; some phones have this feature built in, others don't. On Windows and Mac, you need an image file, but you don't need to read special software — you just need a photo or icon image saved to your computer.
Will changing an app icon affect how the app works?
No. The icon is only what you see on your screen. Changing it doesn't alter the app's files, settings, or function. The app runs exactly the same way whether its icon is the original or a custom one.
What image formats work for app icons?
Most devices accept .png, .jpg, .jpeg, and .gif files. On Windows, .ico files are standard but not required. On Mac, .png works best. If an image doesn't work, try converting it to .png format using a free online image converter.
Can I change the icon of a built-in app like Mail or Settings?
On iPhone, you can create a Shortcuts shortcut that opens any built-in app and give it a custom icon. On Android, Windows, and Mac, built-in apps usually can't be customized directly, but you can create a shortcut or launcher that points to them and customize that instead.
If I change an icon and then update my phone or computer, will the change stay?
On Android, Windows, and Mac, yes — icon changes survive updates. On iPhone, custom Shortcuts icons sometimes need to be recreated after a major iOS update, but this is rare.