How to Change the Default Folder Icon in Windows

change folder icon in Windows

Customizing and hacking the user interface (“Shell”) in Windows is fun. If you want to change the default folder icon with your custom .ico file, this article tells you how. Instructions apply to all versions of Windows, including Windows 10. Change the Default Folder icon in Explorer Launch Regedit.exe and navigate to the following location: … Read more

[Fix] PDF Thumbnail and Preview Not Showing Up in File Explorer

pdf thumbnail and preview using microsoft powertoys

In your Windows computer, File Explorer may not display PDF thumbnails, and instead, show only the default icon assigned for PDF files. This might happen even if you have the option Always show icons, never thumbnails unchecked in the View tab of the Folder Options dialog.

pdf thumbnail and preview using microsoft powertoys
::BEFORE:: — No thumbnail and preview for PDF files

Also, in Microsoft Outlook you’ll see the error when viewing emails that contain PDF file attachments:

The file cannot be previewed because there is no previewer installed for it

This article tells you how to enable PDF thumbnails as well as the PDF preview capability (for the Preview pane) in File Explorer and Microsoft Outlook. The first method (PowerToys) works whether or not you’re using a third-party PDF viewer (e.g., Adobe PDF Reader or Foxit Reader).

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Prevent Internet Explorer Toolbar Layout from being Reset

Every once in a while, Internet Explorer resets the toolbar layout and I need to customize them the way I want, every time this happens. I have Google Toolbar and the default Links toolbar enabled, which I have docked to the extreme right, showing only the chevron.

Occasionally Internet Explorer (or probably one of the browser add-ons) resets the toolbar positions, pushing the Links toolbar to a separate line and thus occupying additional screen real estate. This happens even though the toolbars are in a locked state.Read more

Fix: Accidentally Moved Videos or other Shell folders to D:\ root

accidentally moved special folder to the root drive

When you relocate a special folder: Music, Pictures, Videos, Downloads, or Documents to a different drive using the Location tab in the Property sheet, make sure you mention the complete target path where you want to relocate the folder.

For example, to move the Videos folder of your user profile to the D:\ drive, type D:\Videos, instead of just D:\. This is because Windows does not automatically append the folder name. In case you don’t mention the complete path, the shell folder will be moved to the root of the drive.

accidentally moved special folder to the root drive

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