How To Change Icon of a Desktop External That is APFS Formatted

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Level 2

347 points

How To Change Icon of a Desktop External That is APFS Formatted

Is there a way to change the icon appearance of an APFS formatted external drive?

Specifically, I know how to customize a desktop icon ... "Get info" from an icon I have saved, "Get info" from the external drive, copy the icon image from the 1st and paste it to the second. Works on Apple Extended (Journaled) like a charm. However, my Super Duper external is APFS formatted (by necessity since that is how Shirt Pocket has to do it for Catalina) - which leaves this horrendous orange external on my desktop (as opposed to the nice slick one I've used for years). See screenshot of Time Machine versus Super Duper.

So, any way with an APFS formatted external to change the desktop icon?

Thanks in advance!

Posted on Sep 29, 2020 2:59 PM

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Answer 1

pcbjr Author

Level 2

347 points

Sep 29, 2020 3:39 PM in response to Barney-15E

Probably does not change the icon on the desktop since Super Duper had to create a split drive, just like the Mac HD - one for data and another for the rest. Preview shows it should be showing the white icon, but it isn't, so somehow I probably need to "see" the hidden partition of that drive to make the change. Any ideas? See screenshot to get a visual of what I am trying to describe in print ...

For that extenal, as you see, I gave everyone permissions and it still will not change the icon.

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Answer 2

pcbjr Author

Level 2

347 points

Sep 29, 2020 4:30 PM in response to Barney-15E

Thanks.

Thought that was what you meant and when I tried it

This is what I get:

Not really sure I undretsand the rest of your reply, but there has to be a "See Spot Run" solution (I hope) to getting that awful orange icon off my desktop without just not viewing externals completely, as I still use zip drives to shuttle data and I need to see those ... Ohhhh updates to OS ...

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Answer 3

Barney-15E

Level 10

117,268 points

Sep 29, 2020 4:05 PM in response to pcbjr

Try Go > Computer and see if it shows up there.

I think it writes the .VolumeIcon to that Volume since the other would be read only.

It may not show the correct icon because the Finder would normally be doing its sleight of hand if it was a startup volume. Since it’s just a regular volume, it doesn’t go find the one it is supposed to show.

But, I’m not really sure. I don’t have an boot clones to look at.

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Answer 4

Barney-15E

Level 10

117,268 points

Sep 29, 2020 4:26 PM in response to pcbjr

Go menu in Finder, then Computer (cmd-shift-C).

I got a chance to look at a Catalina and it does symlink /.VolumeIcon.icns to /System/Volumes/Data/.VolumeIcon.icns.

So, when you add it to Super Duper, it is likely overwriting the symlink and just putting it there.

If it does write it to Super Duper - Data/.VolumeIcon.icns, the Super Duper symlink would not point to anything because it points to Super Duper/Volumes/Data/, not the actual data volume as it isn't mounted and Super Duper (the mounted OS) doesn't exist to mount - Data at System/Volumes/Data

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Answer 5

pcbjr Author

Level 2

347 points

Sep 29, 2020 6:47 PM in response to Barney-15E

My bad but still, when I do it right, I only see the orange Super Duper. Nothing there to change. I may just have to learn to like orange boxes, but I hope not. There has to be a simple way to change that icon. I'm betting if I could see the hidden Super Duper volume, I could copy and paste the white icon to the hidden volume and then both Super Duper volumes would be visually synced.

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