Change a folder icon on Mac—and know how to undo it.

01

Copy the icon you want to use

Extract the ZIP, open its Icons folder, and select one ICNS file in Finder. Open it with Preview (right-click → Open With → Preview if needed). Click the main artwork, press Command + A to select it, then Command + C to copy it.

Copy the artwork in Preview, not the file itself or the document icon in its Get Info window.

02

Paste it onto the target folder

Select your target folder in Finder and open File → Get Info (Command + I), and click its small icon at the top-left. A visible selection outline should appear. Press Command + V.

Finder should update the folder icon. If the target is protected or you do not have permission to change it, macOS may refuse the paste or ask for authorization. Stop and test a new ordinary local folder you own; do not change security settings or grant Full Disk Access.

03

Restore the default icon

Open Get Info for the customized folder, click the small custom icon at the top-left, and press Delete. Finder returns to the folder’s default icon.

This restores the standard icon. It does not reconstruct an earlier third-party custom icon unless you kept a copy of that earlier asset.

04

If the icon does not refresh

• Close and reopen the Finder window.
• Confirm you selected the small icon in Get Info, not only the filename.
• If you copied the ICNS file’s small Get Info icon and pasted a generic document icon, repeat the Preview steps above. Click the main artwork before selecting and copying it.
• Test the same icon on a new local folder you own.
• Avoid changing protected system folders or disabling macOS security features.