How to Change App Icons on Any Device

Changing app icons is one of the most popular ways to personalize a smartphone or desktop, and the process varies significantly depending on your operating system, device type, and how deeply you want to customize. Some platforms make it straightforward. Others require workarounds, third-party tools, or a willingness to dig into settings most users never touch.

Here's a clear breakdown of how it works across the major platforms — and what determines how easy or complex the process will be for you.

What "Changing an App Icon" Actually Means

Before diving into steps, it helps to understand what you're actually doing. An app icon is an image file tied to an application — it tells your device what graphic to display on the home screen or app drawer. Changing it can mean:

• Replacing the visual while the app itself stays the same
• Creating a shortcut that points to the original app but displays a different icon
• Using a launcher or theme engine that applies icon packs across the entire system

These are meaningfully different approaches, and which one you're using affects whether notifications, badges, and widgets behave normally afterward.

How to Change App Icons on iPhone (iOS)

Apple introduced native icon customization in iOS 14, though it works through a specific method that many users find counterintuitive.

Using the Shortcuts App

1. Open the Shortcuts app
2. Tap the + button to create a new shortcut
3. Add the action "Open App" and select your target app
4. Tap the shortcut's name, select "Add to Home Screen"
5. Tap the icon preview next to the name field to choose a custom image
6. Select a photo from your library or files and confirm

The result is a home screen shortcut with your chosen image. The trade-off: tapping it opens Shortcuts briefly before launching the app, adding a small delay. This is a platform limitation, not a bug.

Third-Party Apps

Apps like Widgetsmith and various icon pack apps in the App Store offer pre-designed icons and streamline the Shortcuts-based workflow. They don't bypass the Shortcuts mechanism — they just make it faster to apply icons in bulk.

📱 iOS does not natively support system-wide icon replacement without the Shortcuts workaround, unless the device is jailbroken.

How to Change App Icons on Android

Android gives users considerably more flexibility here, largely because of how the operating system handles launchers — the home screen environment itself is replaceable.

Built-In Options (Samsung, Pixel, and Others)

Some Android skins include native icon editing. On Samsung One UI, for example:

1. Long-press an app icon
2. Select "Edit"
3. Tap the icon image to replace it with a photo or a pre-installed alternative

This varies by manufacturer. Stock Android (like on Pixel devices) doesn't offer this natively for individual icons.

Using a Third-Party Launcher

This is the most powerful method for Android users. Launchers like Nova Launcher, Lawnchair, and others allow you to:

• Apply full icon packs (downloaded from the Play Store) to all apps at once
• Replace individual app icons with custom images
• Mix and match styles across different apps

To change a single icon in most launchers:

1. Long-press the app icon
2. Select "Edit" or the icon image
3. Choose from installed icon packs or your photo gallery

Icon Packs

Icon packs are apps containing hundreds of pre-designed icons built to a consistent visual style. They install like regular apps and become available inside supported launchers. Thousands are available on the Play Store, ranging from flat minimalist designs to detailed illustrated styles.

How to Change App Icons on Windows

On Windows, icon customization is mostly tied to shortcuts and folder icons rather than installed applications directly.

Changing a Desktop Shortcut Icon

1. Right-click the shortcut
2. Select Properties
3. Click "Change Icon"
4. Browse for a .ico file or choose from the system library

This changes how the shortcut looks on your desktop — it does not modify the application itself.

Pinned Taskbar Icons

Taskbar icons are harder to change natively and typically require third-party tools like 7+ Taskbar Tweaker or manual shortcut manipulation.

How to Change App Icons on macOS

macOS allows direct icon replacement with no third-party tools required:

1. Download or create your replacement image (.png or .icns format works best)
2. Open Get Info on the app (right-click → Get Info, or ⌘ + I)
3. Click the small icon in the top-left corner of the Get Info window to select it
4. Paste your image using ⌘ + V

The new icon applies immediately in Finder and the Dock. This is one of the most flexible native implementations across any major OS. 🖥️

Key Variables That Affect Your Experience

What Changes and What Doesn't

One thing worth understanding: on iOS, using the Shortcuts method means your original app icon remains on the home screen unless you hide it in the App Library. The shortcut and the app are two separate home screen objects.

On Android with a launcher, icon changes are handled at the launcher level — the underlying app is untouched, and notification badges generally continue to work normally depending on the launcher.

On macOS, pasting a new icon into Get Info is a system-level change that persists across restarts, though app updates may occasionally reset it.

The Part That Depends on You

The technical steps above are consistent across devices of the same type — but how far you'll want to take this, and which method fits your workflow, comes down to specifics that vary from one setup to the next. Someone running a Samsung Galaxy with Nova Launcher already installed is in a completely different position than someone on a stock iPhone who's never opened the Shortcuts app. Your OS version, comfort level with workarounds, and whether you want to change one icon or overhaul your entire home screen all shape which path makes sense. 🎨