Word Document Icon

Question

I've always wanted to change a Word Document Icon to indicate (by it's Colour) if it is anywhere between Normal or Highly Important. A long time ago (XP days) the File Properties allowed me to change the icon (to some I created and saved) but in Windows 10, the "Change Icon" option is not available.

Any suggestions anyone?

Answer 1

I think you're mis-remembering the XP days. You could always change the icon for an entire file format (for example, all Word documents), or for specific shortcut icons, but not for specific files that are not shortcuts. Here is a 6-year-old thread that discusses this kind of request and concludes that it isn't possible.

Here's a screen shot of a file's Properties dialog in Windows XP. There is no Change Icon button (the Change button opens the dialog for changing which program will open the file).

In Windows 10, the Change Icon button is still in the Properties dialog of a shortcut:

NOTE: Although you asked about a Word document icon, this is really a question about Windows files in general. Any further posts about it should be made in the Windows forum.

Answer 2

At MY age it's not surprising I mis-remembered !! :-)   OldTimer's Disease I expect !!

Great reply thanks.  

It made me remember that I used to save my old Word files to separately created folders depending on their perceived importance at the time, and created and changed their appropriately-named Folder's Desktop icons accordingly. All part of a now defunct Web Site, that I created and hand-tagged which sadly (for me and my non-paying Customer) I had to abandon because I couldn't keep up with changes to HTML and the need to include that ubiquitous awful javascript... which I thought was just instructions on how to make a Cup of Instant Coffee !!

We live and learn, and with help (i.e from your good self) we suddenly remember !!!