{"id":1523,"date":"2007-02-01T21:38:52","date_gmt":"2007-02-01T16:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=1523"},"modified":"2022-09-01T18:54:34","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T13:24:34","slug":"shell-folders-are-displayed-with-the-standard-folder-icon-in-windows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/shell-folders-are-displayed-with-the-standard-folder-icon-in-windows\/","title":{"rendered":"User Shell Folders Appear With Generic Yellow Icon in Windows"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When you open Explorer, the shell folders such as Documents, Videos, Music, or Pictures may be displayed with a standard folder icon rather than the special folder icons. This behavior can occur when the desktop.ini file in the shell folder is missing or incorrect, or the folder has lost its read-only attribute.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/w7-spl-icon-ini-2.png\" width=\"256\" height=\"186\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If a shell folder has lost its special icon and showing up as a generic (yellow) folder, you need to create or fix the <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/windows\/desktop\/shell\/how-to-customize-folders-with-desktop-ini\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\">Desktop.ini<\/a> file for the shell folder.<\/p>\n<div id=\"toc\">\n<h4>Contents<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#gui\">Method 1: Fix the shell folder icons using GUI<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#manual\">Method 2: Fixing the shell folder icon manually<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#file_contents\">Step 1: Fix the Desktop.ini contents<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#w11\">For Windows 11<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#w10\">For Windows 10<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#w7\">For Windows 7<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#vista\">For Windows Vista<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#file_attributes\">Step 2: Set the Read-only and Hidden attributes for Desktop.ini<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#folder_attributes\">Step 3: Set the Read-Only Attribute for the Folder<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#desktopini_startup\">Fix: Desktop.ini opens at startup automatically<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2><a id=\"gui\"><\/a>Method 1: Fix the shell folder icons using GUI<\/h2>\n<p>To reset the shell folder icon automatically, follow these steps:<\/p>\n<p>The following procedure is especially for <strong>Windows 11<\/strong>. Let&#8217;s say the &#8220;Music&#8221; folder is showing up with a generic\/yellow folder icon.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27801\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/02\/fix-shell-folder-icons-gui-2.png\" alt=\"user shell folders generic icon fix\" width=\"500\" height=\"160\" \/><\/p>\n<p>All you need to do is right-click &#8220;Music&#8221; and click Properties.<\/p>\n<p>Click the Customize tab, click &#8220;Change icon&#8221;, and click &#8220;Restore Defaults.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27802\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/02\/fix-shell-folder-icons-gui-1.png\" alt=\"user shell folders generic icon fix\" width=\"423\" height=\"584\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Click OK, Apply, and click OK.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s it. The Music folder icon is back!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/02\/fix-shell-folder-icons-gui-3.png\" alt=\"user shell folders generic icon fix\" width=\"500\" height=\"158\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The above procedure fixes the <code>desktop.ini<\/code> in that shell folder, sets &#8220;system&#8221; and &#8220;hidden&#8221; attributes to it, and then sets the folder attributes to &#8220;Read-only&#8221;. Note that the read-only attribute for a folder simply means that the folder is customized. Only if that bit is set, the folder will show up with the custom icon.<\/p>\n<p>This GUI method works on Windows 10 as well, but there is a glitch. It sets a different icon than the default one when resetting the Videos and Pictures folder icons.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><a id=\"manual\"><\/a>Method 2: Fixing the shell folder icon manually<\/h2>\n<p>The default contents of the desktop.ini file for various shell folders are given below for each Operating System. In each shell folder that&#8217;s missing the special icon, create a file named desktop.ini and paste the content corresponding to the shell folder.<\/p>\n<p><em>Once done, set the Read-only attribute for the shell folder using the <strong>attrib<\/strong> command, and set the <b>desktop.ini<\/b> file attributes to <b>Hidden <\/b>(and, optionally, the <b>System<\/b> attribute). If the icons don&#8217;t update automatically, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/refresh-icon-cache-windows-7-quickly\/\">refresh the shell icons<\/a>, or log off and log in again for the icons to refresh. See the full instructions provided at the bottom of this article.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Desktop.ini Contents for Various Shell Folders<\/h3>\n<h3><a id=\"file_contents\"><\/a>Step 1: Fix the Desktop.ini contents<\/h3>\n<h4><a id=\"w11\"><\/a>For Windows 11<\/h4>\n<p><strong>3D Objects<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\windows.storage.dll,-21825\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-198\r\n<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Contacts<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%CommonProgramFiles%\\system\\wab32res.dll,-10100\r\nInfoTip=@%CommonProgramFiles%\\system\\wab32res.dll,-10200\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-181\r\n<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Desktop<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21769\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-183\r\n<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Documents<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\windows.storage.dll,-21770\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-112\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-235\r\n<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Downloads<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-184\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21798\r\n<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Music<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\windows.storage.dll,-21790\r\nInfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-12689\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-108\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-237\r\n<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Pictures<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\windows.storage.dll,-21779\r\nInfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-12688\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-113\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-236\r\n<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Saved Games<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21814\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-186\r\n<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Searches<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-9031\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-18\r\n[LocalizedFileNames]\r\nIndexed Locations.search-ms=@searchfolder.dll,-32820\r\nEverywhere.search-ms=@searchfolder.dll,-32822\r\n<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Videos<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21791\r\nInfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-12690\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-189\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-238\r\n<\/pre>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><a id=\"w10\"><\/a>For Windows 10<\/h4>\n<p><strong>3D Objects<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\windows.storage.dll,-21825\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-198<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Contacts<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%CommonProgramFiles%\\system\\wab32res.dll,-10100\r\nInfoTip=@%CommonProgramFiles%\\system\\wab32res.dll,-10200\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-181<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Desktop<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21769\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-183\r\n[LocalizedFileNames]\r\ncomputer.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-9216\r\n4 - Control Panel.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-4161<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Documents<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21770\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-112\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-235<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Downloads<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\windows.storage.dll,-21798\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-184<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Favorites<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21796\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-115\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-173<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Music<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21790\r\nInfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-12689\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-108\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-237<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Pictures<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\windows.storage.dll,-21779\r\nInfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-12688\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-113\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-236<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Public Desktop<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21799<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Recent<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21797\r\nInfoTip=@shell32,dll,-12692\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-117\r\nCLSID={0C39A5CF-1A7A-40C8-BA74-8900E6DF5FCD}\r\n[LocalizedFileNames]\r\nPaint.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-22054\r\nDesktop.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21769<\/pre>\n<p><strong>Videos<\/strong><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21791\r\nInfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-12690\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-189\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-238<\/pre>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><a id=\"w7\"><\/a>For Windows 7<\/h4>\n<p><b>Contacts<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%CommonProgramFiles%\\system\\wab32res.dll,-10100\r\nInfoTip=@%CommonProgramFiles%\\system\\wab32res.dll,-10200\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-181<\/pre>\n<p><b>Documents<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21770\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-112\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-235<\/pre>\n<p><b>Desktop<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21769\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-183\r\n[LocalizedFileNames]\r\nGameExplorer.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\gameux.dll,-10082\r\nWindows Media Player.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\unregmp2.exe,-4\r\nChess.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\gameux.dll,-10054\r\nFreeCell.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\gameux.dll,-10055\r\nHearts.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\gameux.dll,-10056\r\nInternet Checkers.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\gameux.dll,-10101\r\nMinesweeper.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\gameux.dll,-10057\r\nSpider Solitaire.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\gameux.dll,-10061<\/pre>\n<p><b>Downloads<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21798\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-184<\/pre>\n<p><b>Favorites<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21796\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-115\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-173<\/pre>\n<p><b>Links<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21810\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-185\r\nDefaultDropEffect=4\r\n[LocalizedFileNames]\r\nRecentPlaces.lnk=@shell32.dll,-37217\r\nDesktop.lnk=@shell32.dll,-21769\r\nDownloads.lnk=@shell32.dll,-21798<\/pre>\n<p><b>Music<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21790\r\nInfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-12689\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-108\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-237<\/pre>\n<p><b>Pictures<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21779\r\nInfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-12688\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-113\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-236<\/pre>\n<p><b>Recent<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21797\r\nInfoTip=@shell32,dll,-12692\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-117\r\nCLSID={0C39A5CF-1A7A-40C8-BA74-8900E6DF5FCD}<\/pre>\n<p><b>Saved Games<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21814\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-186<\/pre>\n<p><b>Searches<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-9031\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-18\r\n[LocalizedFileNames]\r\nIndexed Locations.search-ms=@searchfolder.dll,-32820\r\nEverywhere.search-ms=@searchfolder.dll,-32822<\/pre>\n<hr \/>\n<h4><a id=\"vista\"><\/a>For Windows Vista<\/h4>\n<p><b>Documents<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21770\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-112\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-235<\/pre>\n<p><b>Pictures<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21779\r\nInfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-12688\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-113\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-236\r\n[LocalizedFileNames]\r\nSample Pictures.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21805<\/pre>\n<p><b>Music<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21790\r\nInfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-12689\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-108\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-237\r\n[LocalizedFileNames]\r\nSample Music.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21806<\/pre>\n<p><b>Videos<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21791\r\nInfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-12690\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-189\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-238\r\n[LocalizedFileNames]\r\nSample Videos.lnk=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21807<\/pre>\n<p><b>Searches<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-9031\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-18\r\n[LocalizedFileNames]\r\nIndexed Locations.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32811\r\nEverywhere.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32814\r\nShared By Me.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32802\r\nRecent Music.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32803\r\nRecent Documents.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32804\r\nRecent Pictures and Videos.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32806\r\nRecent E-mail.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32807\r\nRecently Changed.search-ms=@shell32.dll,-32813<\/pre>\n<p><b>Downloads<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21798\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-184<\/pre>\n<p><b>Favorites<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21796\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-115\r\nIconFile=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll\r\nIconIndex=-173<\/pre>\n<p><b>Contacts<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%CommonProgramFiles%\\system\\wab32res.dll,-10100\r\nInfoTip=@%CommonProgramFiles%\\system\\wab32res.dll,-10200\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-181<\/pre>\n<p><b>Desktop<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21769\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-183<\/pre>\n<p><b>Links<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21810\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-185\r\nDefaultDropEffect=4\r\n[LocalizedFileNames]\r\nPublic.lnk=@shell32.dll,-21816\r\nSearches.lnk=@shell32.dll,-9031\r\nRecently Changed.lnk=@shell32.dll,-32813\r\nMusic.lnk=@shell32.dll,-21790\r\nPictures.lnk=@shell32.dll,-21779\r\nDocuments.lnk=@shell32.dll,-21770<\/pre>\n<p><b>Saved Games<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21814\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\imageres.dll,-186<\/pre>\n<p><b>Public Desktop<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21799<\/pre>\n<p><b>Public Documents<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21801\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-235<\/pre>\n<p><b>Public Music<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21803\r\nInfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-12689\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-237<\/pre>\n<p><b>Public Pictures<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21802\r\nInfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-12688\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-236<\/pre>\n<p><b>Public Videos<\/b><\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21804\r\nInfoTip=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-12690\r\nIconResource=%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-238<\/pre>\n<hr \/>\n<div class=\"qt\">\n<h4>Using DesktopINIFix for Windows Vista<\/h4>\n<p>Here is a small utility <b>DesktopINIFix<\/b> that I wrote which fixes the desktop.ini file for various shell folders in <strong>Windows Vista<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 263px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9728\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/02\/desktopinifix.gif\" alt=\"desktopinifix for windows vista\" width=\"273\" height=\"295\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">DesktopINIFix for Windows Vista<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Download <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/02\/desktopinifix.zip\">DesktopINIFix.zip<\/a> for Windows Vista.<\/p>\n<p><b>Note:<\/b> After fixing the Desktop.ini, you may have to log off and login back (or <a title=\"How to terminate and restart Explorer.exe process cleanly\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/how-to-terminate-and-restart-explorerexe-process-cleanly\/\">restart explorer.exe shell<\/a>) for the folder icons to refresh.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3><a id=\"file_attributes\"><\/a>Step 2: Enable the Hidden attribute for Desktop.ini<\/h3>\n<p>After adding contents and saving the desktop.ini file, right-click the file <b>desktop.ini<\/b> and choose Properties.<\/p>\n<p>Place checkmarks near Hidden and Read-only attributes, and click OK. The read-only attribute for desktop.ini is optional, though.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/w7-spl-icon-ini-1.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Press {F5} to refresh the folder views, and see if the special folder icon is restored. Or better, you may check again after a reboot cycle.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/w7-spl-icon-ini-2.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If the icons are not refreshed, you need to set the <u>read-only attribute for the shell folder<\/u> if it\u2019s not already set.<\/p>\n<h3><a id=\"folder_attributes\"><\/a>Step 3: Set the Read-Only Attribute for the Folder<\/h3>\n<p>Open a Command Prompt (CMD.EXE) window. To do so, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click <b>Command Prompt<\/b>. Using the <b>Attrib<\/b> command, set the <b>Read-only<\/b> attribute for the shell folder. Here is an example, which explains how to set the Read-only attribute for the special folder &#8220;<b>Downloads<\/b>&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/w7-spl-icon-ini-3.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b>Note:<\/b> Where <i><b>Ramesh<\/b><\/i> (in the above example) is the user account name, and <b>Downloads<\/b> is the shell folder name. You may run the <b>Attrib<\/b> command from any Command Prompt path, as long as you mention the full path to the folder, as in the above example.<\/p>\n<p><em>You could use the <b>Copy as Path<\/b> shell command to copy a shell folder path to the clipboard, and paste it in the Command Prompt so that you don\u2019t have to manually type the entire path.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/w7-spl-icon-ini-4.png\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"desktopini_startup\"><\/a>Desktop.ini file automatically opens when you start Windows?<\/h2>\n<p>When you start your computer, the desktop.ini file may automatically open showing the following contents:<\/p>\n<pre>[.ShellClassInfo]\r\nLocalizedResourceName=@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\shell32.dll,-21787<\/pre>\n<p>This happens if the hidden attribute for the <b>desktop.ini file <\/b>in the Startup folder is somehow removed. Enable the hidden attribute for desktop.ini in your <code>Startup<\/code> and <code>Common Startup<\/code> folders. To do so, you can use the Command Prompt.<\/p>\n<p>Open an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/open-elevated-command-prompt-windows\/\">elevated Command Prompt<\/a> window and run these two commands:<\/p>\n<pre>attrib +s +h \"%appdata%\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Startup\\desktop.ini\"\r\nattrib +s +h \"%programdata%\\Microsoft\\Windows\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Startup\\desktop.ini\"<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you open Explorer, the shell folders such as Documents, Videos, Music, or Pictures may be displayed with a standard folder icon rather than the special folder icons. This behavior can occur when the desktop.ini file in the shell folder is missing or incorrect, or the folder has lost its read-only attribute.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-windows"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":50378,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/shell-folder-wrong-name\/","url_meta":{"origin":1523,"position":0},"title":"Fix: Shell Folder Shows with an Incorrect Name","author":"Ramesh","date":"May 31, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"After moving the user shell folders, such as Desktop, Download, Documents, Pictures, Music, or Videos, incorrectly, one of your shell folders may show up with a different name. For example, the \"Documents\" folder may show up as \"Downloads\", or \"Desktop\" may appear as \"Downloads\". However, the folder name may show\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows 10&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"desktop shell folder renamed - localizedresourcename","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/desktop-name-changed-4.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/desktop-name-changed-4.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/desktop-name-changed-4.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/desktop-name-changed-4.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":494,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/dragging-folder-to-favorite-links-moves-the-folder-instead-of-creating-shortcut\/","url_meta":{"origin":1523,"position":1},"title":"Dragging a folder to Favorite Links moves the folder instead of creating Shortcut","author":"Ramesh","date":"August 25, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"When you drag a folder to the Favorite Links area in Windows Explorer, the shortcut to the folder is placed in the Links folder. This was not the case in one of my Windows Vista systems, where the entire folder and sub-folders were moved to the Links folder when dragged\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows Vista&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows Vista","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-vista\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/vista-icon.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":27932,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/customize-contacts-folder-icon-windows\/","url_meta":{"origin":1523,"position":2},"title":"How to Customize the Contacts Folder Icon in Windows","author":"Ramesh","date":"September 3, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Contacts folder is a shell folder that can be relocated like any other shell folder like Documents, Music, Pictures, etc. However, unlike other shell folders, the Contacts folder doesn't have a \"Customize\" tab in the property sheet. You may be wondering how to change the Contacts folder icon. We'll\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"contacts folder - customize tab change icon missing","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/contacts-folder-change-icon-missing.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2547,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/ie-history-bar-view-by-date-missing\/","url_meta":{"origin":1523,"position":3},"title":"[Solved] Internet Explorer History Bar &#8220;View By&#8221; Options Missing","author":"Ramesh","date":"March 31, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"When you open the History Bar (CTRL + SHIFT + H) in Internet Explorer, the following \"View By\" options may be missing, listing only the \"Search History\" entry in the drop down box. View By Date View By Site View By Most Visited View By Order Visited Today This problem\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Internet Explorer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Internet Explorer","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/internet-explorer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/w10\/ie-history-desktop-ini-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":27036,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/cant-open-documents-pictures-music-dropbox-uninstall\/","url_meta":{"origin":1523,"position":4},"title":"Can&#8217;t Access Documents, Pictures, Music After Uninstalling DropBox","author":"Ramesh","date":"August 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"When you access a user shell folder such as Pictures, Documents, or Music after uninstalling a cloud sync software, the following error may occur: Location is not available C:\\Users\\Ramesh\\Music is unavailable. If the location is on this PC, make sure the device or drive is connected or the disc is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Utilities&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Utilities","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/utilities\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"disable backup in dropbox","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/disable-backup-dropbox.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/disable-backup-dropbox.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/disable-backup-dropbox.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/disable-backup-dropbox.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26716,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/duplicate-desktop-icons-in-windows\/","url_meta":{"origin":1523,"position":5},"title":"Fix for Duplicate Desktop Icons in Windows","author":"Ramesh","date":"May 29, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Every time when you place a file or a shortcut on your Desktop, you may get 2 identical icons. If one icon is deleted, the other icon will also be removed if you refresh the Desktop. The path for both icons would be the same. You may be wondering what\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1523\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}