Icon Phile
Rating: 5
Version tested: 2.1 beta
Description: Icon Phile is a small program that can be used to change Windows system icons (including desktop icons, cursors, drives, start menu and folders), as well as the icons for any document format/extension such as compressed files, MS offices files, graphic and media files and others.
Ever installed a really cool program such as an image viewing program, zip/compression program, etc., and really liked it but could not stomach the file icon at all? If so (yes I know it happened to most all of us) then Icon Phile is exactly what you need.
You can use Icon Phile to quickly change the icon not just of system icons but for any file extension that you want. Here’s a list of some of the coolest features:
- Allows you to create “categories” or icons that you can change collectively.
- Allows you to save the entire icon scheme. This is useful because it allows you to save your icon selections initially and later on undo any changes that you have made. It is also useful for creating entire ’themes’ of icons.
- Allows you to drag and drop any file into the app in order to change the associated icon of the extension. Note that the version I tested (a) some extensions (like FLV) would not be added in this way, and (b) the program did not successfully change the icons of those extensions that I was able to add. I was using a beta version, though, and I am assuming that this is a bug that will be eventually fixed. All pre-defined icons were easily changeable, though.
- Offers different ’views’; you can view groupings of icons, view changes, view all, etc. (see second screenshot).
- You can restore Windows’ icons as well as rebuild the icons database.
This program is simply cool. It has a great, intuitive UI and for the most part works really well. Although I (think) I did find a bug as described above, I am guessing this will be ironed out in a future release. Moreover, as if the program alone weren’t cool enough, the site also offers a large group of cool, freely downloadable icon packs.
Compatibility: WinAll.
Go to the download page to download the latest version. The program home page. Alternately if links are broken, download v2.1 beta here.
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Ah, iphile is great. Too bad that it’s not being developed any more.
thanks
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