Apple Intelligence is now available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac!

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

How to fix Desktop icon in Finder sidebar?

Hello everyone,


How do I fix the sidebar icon for the Desktop folder in Finder? It appears as a normal folder icon instead of the default "Desktop" icon.



Also, when I move it to the iCloud section in the sidebar, the original icon returns. This problem does not affect the "Documents" folder. Any suggestions on how to fix this?


Please don't leave generic answers, because I've already tried changing the sidebar settings, restarting the computer, and changing the name of the home folder, and it didn't solve the issue.


Any help or ideas on how to solve this issue are greatly appreciated as I am already getting hopeless.

MacBook Air 13″

Posted on Apr 20, 2023 9:44 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 20, 2023 10:22 AM

TimofeyDeveloper wrote:

Hello everyone,

How do I fix the sidebar icon for the Desktop folder in Finder? It appears as a normal folder icon instead of the default "Desktop" icon.


https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/4f9bbb47-008d-4f53-922e-6691f2875df6

Also, when I move it to the iCloud section in the sidebar, the original icon returns. This problem does not affect the "Documents" folder. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Please don't leave generic answers, because I've already tried changing the sidebar settings, restarting the computer, and changing the name of the home folder, and it didn't solve the issue.

Any help or ideas on how to solve this issue are greatly appreciated as I am already getting hopeless.


At the risk of being generic...


remove the old icon by the contextual menu/ or drag it off,


then from Finder>Settings and it back in to the Sidebar...(?)








or drag it directly from the Applications folder to the sidebar.

8 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 20, 2023 10:22 AM in response to TimofeyDeveloper

TimofeyDeveloper wrote:

Hello everyone,

How do I fix the sidebar icon for the Desktop folder in Finder? It appears as a normal folder icon instead of the default "Desktop" icon.


https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/4f9bbb47-008d-4f53-922e-6691f2875df6

Also, when I move it to the iCloud section in the sidebar, the original icon returns. This problem does not affect the "Documents" folder. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

Please don't leave generic answers, because I've already tried changing the sidebar settings, restarting the computer, and changing the name of the home folder, and it didn't solve the issue.

Any help or ideas on how to solve this issue are greatly appreciated as I am already getting hopeless.


At the risk of being generic...


remove the old icon by the contextual menu/ or drag it off,


then from Finder>Settings and it back in to the Sidebar...(?)








or drag it directly from the Applications folder to the sidebar.

Oct 27, 2023 2:07 PM in response to TimofeyDeveloper

If you're not getting this:





give this a try: boot into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and test to see if the problem persists. Reboot normally and test again.


NOTE 1: Safe Mode boot can take up to 3 - 5 minutes as it's doing the following; 

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

• Loads only required kernel extensions (prevents 3rd party kernel/extensions from loading)

• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

• Disables user-installed fonts 

• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files


NOTE 2: if you have a wireless keyboard with rechargeable batteries connect it with its charging cable before booting into Safe Mode. This makes it act as a wired keyboard as will insure a successful boot into Safe Mode.


Apr 20, 2023 12:45 PM in response to leroydouglas

Sadly, as I wrote above, it doesn't work. No matter how many times I try it.


Anyway, I think I've had enough of this, so I'm just going to start a new user on this Mac. Although, it would be really curious to know how this issue is actually handled.


By the way, if you got any thoughts on how to transfer settings from one Mac user to another (under the same Apple ID), I'd really appreciate it.

Oct 27, 2023 12:51 PM in response to TimofeyDeveloper

I am having this same issue with a new computer running Ventura. The custom icons that I made still show in the Finder window itself or if I open the "Get Info" pane but are only generic on the Finder sidebar. I have tried removing and re-adding them without effect.


Since the little house icon for the user directory has also been replaced with a generic folder, I suspect this is a system wide OS change and I can't do anything, but can anyone confirm that?

Oct 28, 2023 10:36 AM in response to Barney-15E

Thanks, I got the desktop icon to show properly when it was under the icloud, but as soon as I moved it up to favorites it became a generic icon again. I think having special icons show in Favorites (I have them for the folders I use a lot) must be no longer functional. [This is a brand new mini so none of the OS files have had time to get corrupted yet.] I don't care enough to pursue it harder.


There are a lot of other things that Apple could have usefully changed besides this (please give me an ios clock where I can type in numbers instead of scrolling them) but whatever, they do like to tinker with everything. Must take ages to get dressed each morning. Thanks.

Oct 28, 2023 5:00 PM in response to writerbeast

writerbeast wrote:

Thanks, I got the desktop icon to show properly when it was under the icloud, but as soon as I moved it up to favorites it became a generic icon again. I think having special icons show in Favorites (I have them for the folders I use a lot) must be no longer functional. [This is a brand new mini so none of the OS files have had time to get corrupted yet.] I don't care enough to pursue it harder.

You didn't seem to comprehend what I said. When you enable Desktop & Documents syncing with iCloud Drive, the Sidebar aliases are in iCloud Drive. When you try to put them in Favorites, they don't work correctly.

Should they work correctly in Favorites? Probably.

Do they work correctly in Favorites? No.

How to fix Desktop icon in Finder sidebar?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.