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Custom icons won't change

A couple years ago I made custom icons for some folders (made the images in Photoshop, set ti 1024x1024 pixels, copied and pasted into the icon in get info). Now I want to change them. If I just delete the existing icon, the default folder icon reappears. However, even if I then restart the computer, when I try to put a new custom icon onto the folder, the old one reoccurs. Sometimes it works, and I haven't been able to come up with a reason why. This has been demonstrated on my MacBook Pro (MacOS 10.4.6) and my old MacPro (10.4.5). On the MacPro, one of the folders suddenly changed to the new icon, nearly an hour after I had pasted the new one in get info; one worked immediately; and the rest keep reverting to the previous icons. On the MacBook Pro, one icon worked immediately but none of the others -- and, interestingly, the one icon that worked immediately was the same for both computers. Hierarchically, two of the folders are inside one of the others, if that makes a difference.


Any suggestions on how to make the new icons stick instead of the old ones? I've tried moving folders to new locations, making aliases and pasting the icon on the alias, and every other idea I found regarding adding new custom icons to folders.


Thanks!

MacBook Pro Retina

Posted on Aug 12, 2019 8:14 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 13, 2019 6:11 AM

Hi Russell Kurtz,


​Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities. As I understand it, you're running into some issues changing custom icons in macOS.


To clarify, are you using these steps? Create custom icons for files or folders on Mac. If you are, and you're seeing unexpected results, I recommend starting by testing this in both safe mode and a temporary administrator account. These tests will help you to rule out certain software causes, and to determine if this is a system-wide or user-specific issue. The links below will walk you through both tests:


Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac


How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac


Once you've attempted to replicate the issue in both a temporary admin account and in safe mode, feel free to reply back with the results. The community may be able to offer further help then.


Take care.

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3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 13, 2019 6:11 AM in response to Russell Kurtz

Hi Russell Kurtz,


​Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities. As I understand it, you're running into some issues changing custom icons in macOS.


To clarify, are you using these steps? Create custom icons for files or folders on Mac. If you are, and you're seeing unexpected results, I recommend starting by testing this in both safe mode and a temporary administrator account. These tests will help you to rule out certain software causes, and to determine if this is a system-wide or user-specific issue. The links below will walk you through both tests:


Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac


How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac


Once you've attempted to replicate the issue in both a temporary admin account and in safe mode, feel free to reply back with the results. The community may be able to offer further help then.


Take care.

Custom icons won't change

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