FolderIco Command Line Tutorial: Customize Folder Icons from CMD

FolderIco can be used not only from the Windows Explorer right-click menu, but also from the command line. This is useful when you want to customize folders automatically, prepare folders in a script, apply the same design to many directories, or save a composed icon file for later use.

This tutorial explains the supported FolderIco command-line parameters and shows practical examples for applying icons, creating composed folder icons, resetting icons, and using Windows-specific maintenance commands.

Basic syntax

The exact executable name depends on your installation, but the command structure is the same: select a folder, choose what you want to do, and use the required action option for that workflow. For an existing icon file, --icon applies the icon directly. For composed icons made from style, color, image, cover, or sticker layers, use --apply to apply the result to a folder or --output to save it as an icon file.

FolderIco.exe --folder "C:\Path\To\Folder" [options]

You can also view built-in help or check the installed version directly from the command line.

FolderIco.exe --help
FolderIco.exe --version

Apply an existing icon file to a folder

Use --folder to select the target folder and --icon to choose an existing icon file. The --icon option applies the icon directly, so --apply is not required for this workflow.

FolderIco.exe --folder "C:\Projects\Client A" --icon "C:\Icons\client.ico"

By default, FolderIco may copy the icon into the target folder when using --icon. To keep the original icon path without copying the icon into the folder, use the Windows-only --no-copy-icon option.

FolderIco.exe --folder "C:\Projects\Client A" --icon "C:\Icons\client.ico" --no-copy-icon

Create a composed folder icon

FolderIco can compose a custom folder icon from a style, tint color, main image, cover image, or sticker layer. This lets you build a folder icon from parts instead of starting with an existing .ico file.

FolderIco.exe --folder "C:\Design\Brand Assets" --style windows-11 --color "#2D9CDB" --image "C:\Images\logo.png" --apply

Supported folder styles are:

• windows-10
• windows-11
• macos-big-sur
• macos-tahoe

You can also place a cover or sticker layer on top of the folder.

FolderIco.exe --folder "C:\Photos\Vacation" --style windows-11 --cover "C:\Images\beach.png" --apply

FolderIco.exe --folder "C:\Invoices\2026" --style windows-10 --color "#F2C94C" --sticker "C:\Stickers\star.png" --apply

Save the composed icon to a file

If you want to generate an icon file without applying it to the folder, use --output. This is useful when preparing reusable icons for later use.

FolderIco.exe --style windows-11 --color "#27AE60" --image "C:\Images\report.png" --output "C:\Icons\report-folder.ico"

You can then apply the saved icon to a folder with --icon. No --apply option is needed when applying an existing icon file.

FolderIco.exe --folder "C:\Reports" --icon "C:\Icons\report-folder.ico"

Customize subfolders recursively

Add --recursive to include subfolders. This is useful when you want the same folder style or reset action to affect an entire folder tree.

FolderIco.exe --folder "C:\Projects" --style windows-11 --color "#9B51E0" --recursive --apply

Reset folder icons

To restore the default folder icon, use --reset. Combine it with --recursive when you want to reset subfolders too.

FolderIco.exe --folder "C:\Projects\Client A" --reset

FolderIco.exe --folder "C:\Projects" --reset --recursive

Repair and maintenance options on Windows

FolderIco includes Windows-only options for repairing folder icon settings, clearing the Windows Explorer icon cache and registering shell integration.

FolderIco.exe --folder "C:\Projects\Client A" --repair

FolderIco.exe --clear-icon-cache

FolderIco.exe --register-dll
FolderIco.exe --unregister-dll
FolderIco.exe --fixRegistry

FolderIco.exe --install --silent
FolderIco.exe --uninstall --silent

FolderIco command-line options

Windows-only options

Practical command examples

Here are common command-line tasks you can copy and adapt.

Apply one icon to one folder

FolderIco.exe --folder "C:\Work" --icon "C:\Icons\work.ico"

Apply a colored Windows 11 folder style

FolderIco.exe --folder "C:\Work" --style windows-11 --color "#EB5757" --apply

Create an icon file from an image

FolderIco.exe --style windows-11 --image "C:\Images\camera.png" --output "C:\Icons\photos.ico"

Reset a folder tree

FolderIco.exe --folder "C:\Archive" --reset --recursive

Frequently asked questions

These answers cover the most common command-line workflows in FolderIco.