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Windows 11 Old Icons: How To Get Them Back [Guide]

The legacy icons are preferred by many users

6 min. read

Updated onNovember 5, 2024

updated onNovember 5, 2024

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Key notes

Windows 11 changed a lot from the old Windows 10, at least in terms of interface and graphics. For some, it’s awesome, but others don’t get used to it.

Whether you’re nostalgic or you just can’t cope with it, we will show you how to change the icons on the desktop back to how they used to look or with others.

Our guide will also help you if you have lost some icons and you want to bring them back and even how to see the icons if all have disappeared.

As you will see further on, theDesktop Icon Settingsare located in thePersonalizationoption and if your Windows 11 is not activated, you will not be able to access them through the menu.

We also have a great guide onhow to activate your Windows 11 on your virtual machinethat will help you with this problem.

However, we have an excellent workaround that will circumvent this issue. The procedure is not very different from that in Windows 10 so everything should seem a little bit familiar.

The problem at hand in this article is restoring the old desktop icons or simply changing them in Windows 11.

How can I get back the old Windows 11 icons?

1. Use the Personalization option

If you don’t have access to a Windows 10 system, you can find theimageres.dllfile online, but be careful to use a trusted source for the file, otherwise you will risk malware infection.

To learn more, we have a whole guide dedicated toimageres.dll, so don’t miss it.

2. Use the Run app

Basically, this solution circumvents the fact that your copy of Windows 11 is not activated and you can’t use thePersonalizationsettings.

How to show Windows 11 icons on the desktop?

First of all, if you cannot see any desktop icons, the option might be deactivated so we will take care of that really quickly.

If the option is not checked, you won’t see any icons on your desktop. Of course, you can follow the same procedure if you want to hide them back.

How can I add icons on the desktop in Windows 11?

This is just an example but you can do the same with any other app, file, and folder. Remember that a shortcut is not the file or folder itself but just a redirect to your actual content.

In other words, if you create a shortcut of a file on your desktop, you will be able to open or execute it, but if you will try to insert it in an e-mail, for instance, you will just get the shortcut, not the file itself.

If you find that the newly created shortcuts are unappealing from the arrows, you can proceed toremove the shortcut arrowsto achieve a cleaner look.

You need to know that using the drag-and-drop method will actually copy the file or folder that you are dragging on your desktop.

It’s important because if you copy a large folder on the desktop, you’re going to use additional space on your drive.

If you want to create a shortcut instead, just press and hold theAltkey before performing the drag-and-drop procedure.

Of course, you can add as many shortcuts as you want but filling your desktop with files and shortcuts will not help you very much with organizing your PC.

However, we have a great guide onhow to pin apps to Start menu and Taskbarthat you might find useful in this situation.

We hope that our article helped you bring the old desktop icons in Windows 11 and find out how to add more icons and shortcuts if needed.

If you have any questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments section below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Windows 11 Old Icons: How To Get Them Back [Guide]#

How can I get back the old Windows 11 icons?#

1. Use the Personalization option#

2. Use the Run app#

How to show Windows 11 icons on the desktop?#

How can I add icons on the desktop in Windows 11?#