How to Change a Folder Icon on macOS

How to Change a Folder Icon on macOS

Want to personalize your folders with custom icons on macOS? Here’s a simple and effective way to do it using a free tool called folderify.

Step 1: Install folderify

Install the tool using Homebrew:

brew install folderify

Alternatively, you can follow the manual installation instructions on the GitHub page.

Step 2: Choose an SVG Icon

Go to FontAwesome icons and pick a free black icon with a transparent background. Click on it, switch to the “SVG” tab, and copy the raw SVG content.

Copy the raw SVG content from FontAwesome

Tip

You can also use an SVG icon from any source - not just FontAwesome. The only requirement is that it’s a valid .svg file. For best results, choose minimalist black icons that look good on macOS folder backgrounds.

Step 3: Convert SVG to PNG

Go to this SVG to PNG converter and paste your SVG code into the editor.

Set the height to 1024. Leave the width empty - it will be calculated automatically based on the aspect ratio.

Set the width to 1024

Click “Download this PNG” and save the image locally.

Download PNG from SVG to PNG converter

Step 4: Apply the Icon to a Folder

Now use folderify to apply your icon:

folderify ~/Downloads/pied-piper-hat.png path/to/your/folder

After a moment, the folder will display your custom icon:

Folder with icon