How to change a folder’s thumbnail in Windows 10

Changing the appearance of a folder can help you in a number of situations. You can for example see the contents of each directory at a glance. Additionally, if you’re dealing with a large number of items, a custom image or icon will help you find what you’re looking for better. In Windows 10, you can change a folder’s thumbnail in two different ways. We will explain them to you.

Search directory in ExplorerSearch directory in Explorer

First, locate the folder you want to customize. Right-click on it and open its properties window.

Folder PropertiesFolder Properties

Open the tab Customize and select the option Choose Filelocated in section Folder Pictures located.

Customization tabCustomization tab

Use the file explorer to find the image you want. Keep in mind that you can use virtually any image format.

open pictureopen picture

Click to finish Applyto save the changes.

apply changesapply changes

As you can see in the image below, the selected image will be placed in the folder.

Folder with the new imageFolder with the new image

This image is visible using the small, medium or large thumbnail view. However, the index picture is not available when looking at the indexes in list form. If you want an identifiable image no matter what view you use in Windows Explorer, you can too change the icon for the folder itself. For this you have to go back to the properties and then to the tab Customize. Then select the option Change Icon.

change iconchange icon

Use the selector to choose an icon from the system default icons, or use a custom icon by clicking Browse click Remember that in this case the image must be in ICO format. Once you have selected one, confirm with the OK or Enter button .

Change folder iconChange folder icon

Don’t forget, up Apply click to save your changes. The folder icon will then disappear and be replaced with the icon you chose.

Changed folder iconChanged folder icon

Please note that these changes are visible regardless of the view selected in the file browser.

Leave a Comment