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How to Create Custom Folder Icons on macOS

27th June 2021

Jacob Woolcock

1:40

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Are you fed up with having all of your folders looking exactly the same on your Mac? Finding it hard to locate your documents easily? Then this is the #QuickTip for you!

Using Keynote, I’ll show you how to replace the default icon on macOS Folders with anything you like! I’m creating some custom icons for my QuickLessons video folders, but you could make them into anything you like – who needs blue folders when you can have rockets, carrots or hippos as your icons!

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Are you fed up with the default folder icon on macOS Big Sur? Well, here’s how you can customise your Finder to make your icons and folders easier to find than ever. You can download your own icons from the internet, but I think it’s much more fun to make your own. So, I’m going to use Keynote and in this application, I’ve set up a template using some shapes that look like a folder. From here, I can customise that to look however I want it to look; in fact, it hasn’t even got to look like a folder at all! Build whatever shape you want and then you’re going to join it all together by selecting each object by dragging a box and then pressing Group. Now, when you’ve grouped your shape into one object, it’s time to click on it to select and then press Command-C to copy. That will copy your new folder design onto your Clipboard, and now the clever part. Jump into Finder and navigate to the folder whose icon you want to change. For me, I’m going to change the icon for my Quick Lessons videos. Then you’re going to Control-Click on one of those folders and press Get Info. On that Get Info screen in the top left corner, you’ll see a tiny thumbnail of your folder icon, and it is so simple to change. Click onto there and then press Command-V to paste. And now your new custom artwork from Keynote will have replaced your folder cover. Of course, if you change your mind, you can simply paste a new piece of artwork here, or you can click on it in that top left corner and press Delete to go back to the standard folder icon.

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