How to modify Icon of the .exe file

Some apps have really ugly icons. You could always surely create a shortcut to your EXE file. Then change the icon for the shortcut. Here is how to change the icon for the EXE file itself.

Windows don’t include a built-in way to change the icon for EXE files. So you’ll need to download a free copy of Resource Hacker before you get started. After getting installed, Fire up File Explorer and find the folder that contains your EXE file. You can right-tap the shortcut or Shift+Right tap it if it’s on the taskbar or Start menu and choose “Open file location” if you have a shortcut to the app and aren’t sure where it’s located.

Make a copy of that file to serve as a backup just in case something when you have found the folder containing the EXE file. Select the file, press Ctrl+C, and then press Ctrl+V to paste a copyright in the same folder.

If you installed Resource Hacker, it added an option to the context menu you get when you right-tap files. Right-tap the original EXE file, not the copy you made and choose “Open using Resource Hacker.”

Select the “Icon” folder in the left pane in the Resource Hacker. Tap the “Action” menu and then select “Replace Icon.”

Click the “Open file with new icon” button in the Replace Icon window and browse to the location of the icon you want to use. The source can be a DLL, ICO, RES, or EXE file.

After you have selected the icon, it’s displayed in the Replace Icon window. Select the icon to replace from the list on the right. If you see more than one icon listed, the top item is usually the main icon for the EXE file. But you may have to look through them to confirm. Tap the “Replace ” button, if you want the selected icon to replace.

You will see that the “Icon” folder, back in the main Resource Hacker window. You have selected now shows several different sizes of the icon you selected as your replacement.

You’re now ready to save your file by replacing the original EXE file. Then exit Resource Hacker. After completing, go check out the new icon for your EXE file in File Explorer.

If you have any trouble opening the EXE file or if you ever want to revert to the original, you can restore the original file from the copy you made before you got started.