How to change Mac app icons

Whether you want to revert to an app’s previous icon, or want to have some fun with customizing a variety of your apps, read on for how to change Mac app icons.

Update 12/2020: Unfortunately this process doesn’t appear to work with macOS Big Sur.

Changing Mac app icons is a simple and painless process and can be fun to do for a custom macOS look and feel.

How to change Mac app icons

1. Open Finder and navigate to Applications
2. Click the app you’d like to change the icon for and hit command + I (or right-click and choose Get Info)
3. Have an image for the new icon you’d like to use, jpg often works best
4. Copy the new image you’d like to use (command + C)
5. Click the small thumbnail of the current app icon in the Info window
6. Use the keyboard shortcut command + V to paste in the new icon
7. Close and reopen the app to have the changes take effect

Here’s how the process looks:

After pulling up Applications, find the app you’d like to change the icon for. Right click and select Get Info or use the keyboard shortcut command + I.

Copy (right click, Copy or command + C) the image for what you’d like to change the app icon to. Then click on the small existing icon in the Info window so it’s highlighted with a blue border.

Use the keyboard shortcut command + V to paste in the new icon that you’d like to use.

If the app is open, the last step is to close it and reopen the app for the change to take effect.

In this example I didn’t take the time to fully crop the Slack icon to remove the whitespace around the perimeter, but you can be as meticulous as you want for the icons you’re customizing.

For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles:

• Forgot your Apple ID email? Here’s how to look it up
• How to use your iPad as a secondary Mac display
• How to get around Activation Lock on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
• How to quickly pair your AirPods with your Mac
• How to pay for Spotify Premium in the iOS app

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