Change sidebar icons!!!!
June 23, 2010 7:35 PM Subscribe
How can I change my sidebar icons in Snow Leopard?
I noticed that whenever I try to add a folder to my Mac sidebar it gives me a boring blue folder. My shortcuts for Documents, Desktop, Downloads, and Applications have nifty sidebar icons. How can I have the same thing for folders I create? I know how to change folder icons, but I want my folder icon and sidebar icon to be different. Is this possible without the use of software (ie. CandyBar)? Hope anyone has advice. Thanks!
I noticed that whenever I try to add a folder to my Mac sidebar it gives me a boring blue folder. My shortcuts for Documents, Desktop, Downloads, and Applications have nifty sidebar icons. How can I have the same thing for folders I create? I know how to change folder icons, but I want my folder icon and sidebar icon to be different. Is this possible without the use of software (ie. CandyBar)? Hope anyone has advice. Thanks!
I don't believe there's any way to do that without 3rd-party software.
mosk, your solution is just changing the folder icon - the OP says they want the sidebar icon to be different from the actual file/folder icon.
posted by ripley_ at 8:17 PM on June 23, 2010
mosk, your solution is just changing the folder icon - the OP says they want the sidebar icon to be different from the actual file/folder icon.
posted by ripley_ at 8:17 PM on June 23, 2010
Response by poster: I wasn't able to change it that way. I tested your instructions with a .png file and it just gave me a blank icon. My folder stayed the original way though. Does it have to be in a particular format?
posted by Junior687 at 8:18 PM on June 23, 2010
posted by Junior687 at 8:18 PM on June 23, 2010
Response by poster: @ ripley, I'm thinking the same thing, but I thought I would ask anyway. I wish I could find the .icns files for Documents and the other ones and see how it is done without software....
posted by Junior687 at 8:21 PM on June 23, 2010
posted by Junior687 at 8:21 PM on June 23, 2010
>I know how to change folder icons, but I want my folder icon and sidebar icon to be different.
Sorry, missed that. Poor reading comprehension on my part.
>Does it have to be in a particular format?
No, I just tested my instructions with a .png file and they worked fine.
posted by mosk at 8:23 PM on June 23, 2010
Sorry, missed that. Poor reading comprehension on my part.
>Does it have to be in a particular format?
No, I just tested my instructions with a .png file and they worked fine.
posted by mosk at 8:23 PM on June 23, 2010
Mac OS X icon files actually contain several different images at various sizes, and the OS selects which one to use based on the size of the icon. When a folder is in the sidebar, it uses the 16x16 image. You can use Icon Composer to make an icon with a custom 16x16 version, assign it to your folder, and boom.
posted by The Lurkers Support Me in Email at 8:51 PM on June 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by The Lurkers Support Me in Email at 8:51 PM on June 23, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: @ mosk, where did you get the .png? Does it have to be a certain size, resolution, etc etc.? It doesn't want to work for me....
posted by Junior687 at 9:08 PM on June 23, 2010
posted by Junior687 at 9:08 PM on June 23, 2010
I just grabbed a random .png file form my Photos folder -- it was a screen shot I had taken previously. I did not resize it. Same with the .jpg I used previously. I just tried it again with a much larger picture, an 800 X 531 jpeg. Works fine for me.
I've expanded these steps a bit for clarity:
1. Find a picture or graphic you want to use to dress up your sidebar icon. Copy it to the clipboard.
2. Click once on the item in the sidebar to select it. (The window changes to the contents of the sidebar item selected.) Don't click anywhere else, or inside the now-open folder!
3. Choose File menu > Get Info or Command + I (Get Info). The Get Info window opens.
4. Click once on the small icon image in the upper left corner of the Get Info window to select the icon.
5. Choose Edit menu > Paste or Command + V to paste the clipboard contents and replace the Get Info icon.
posted by mosk at 9:26 PM on June 23, 2010
I've expanded these steps a bit for clarity:
1. Find a picture or graphic you want to use to dress up your sidebar icon. Copy it to the clipboard.
2. Click once on the item in the sidebar to select it. (The window changes to the contents of the sidebar item selected.) Don't click anywhere else, or inside the now-open folder!
3. Choose File menu > Get Info or Command + I (Get Info). The Get Info window opens.
4. Click once on the small icon image in the upper left corner of the Get Info window to select the icon.
5. Choose Edit menu > Paste or Command + V to paste the clipboard contents and replace the Get Info icon.
posted by mosk at 9:26 PM on June 23, 2010
You can do this extremely easily with a free application called LiteIcon. That's not quite what you asked, but it's the easiest way to do it.
posted by EL-O-ESS at 11:36 PM on June 23, 2010
posted by EL-O-ESS at 11:36 PM on June 23, 2010
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1. Find a picture or graphic you want to use to dress up your sidebar icon. Copy it to the clipboard.
2. Click on the item in the sidebar and choose File menu > Get Info or Command + I (Get Info).
3. Click once on the small icon image in the upper left corner of the Get Info window to select the icon.
4. Choose Edit menu > Paste or Command + V to paste the clipboard contents and replace the Get Info icon.
That's it.
posted by mosk at 8:05 PM on June 23, 2010