"Changing" System Icons via Symbolic Links...

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Level 1

8 points

"Changing" System Icons via Symbolic Links...

Hey all - I wanted to create my own system icons to match my system, and of course, this is no longer possible on the most recent OS versions, so...after much research, I was happy to find out about Symbolic Links.

I am happy with the look of the icons, and am relatively pleased by how easy it was to create this...however, I am running into a few problems, and wonder if anyone has any answers/advice...

How do I get documents (such as Word, Excel) to open the symlink rather than the original file? For example, right-clicking on a .doc file and changing the "Open With" option does NOT stick (as soon as I hit "Change All," it goes right back to the default Word Application).

If I try to Opt+Click and select "Always Open with..." for the new Symlink, I then start getting the following error message anytime I try to open the file by clicking it:

While this isn't a huge deal, what ends up happening is that the look of my dock is then "broken up" by the intrusion of the original ugly (wrongly coloured) icon:

This happens with other icons as well, but DOESN'T happen if I start the file from inside the new, symlinked icon. Not exactly convenient if I want to simply double click an Excel file instead of always opening it from inside the program.

I know that Microsoft Office programs aren't system programs and I should have been able to change the icon without a problem, but...it does not allow me to do this, the way I can with, for example, Final Cut Pro.

All of these are "first world problems," I understand...just wanted to see if anyone has had issues like these and fixed them. Thanks in advance!

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 14.0

Posted on Oct 7, 2023 11:56 AM

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Answer 1

Tsar Nikk Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 8, 2023 8:46 AM in response to Barney-15E

This is not working any longer. These are the steps I am taking:

I open the new icon file (.png file), select all, and copy

I right click on the Excel app file in Applications, and select "Get Info" (and for good measure, I unlock sharing and permissions).

I paste the copied image onto the Excel icon at the top of the Get Info window. Nothing happens.

This method (and the drag-and-drop method) works for every other non-System, non-Microsoft Office icon, and it was working pre-Sonoma, so...it must be the particular combo of Office 2021 and Sonoma that has somehow disallowed this functionality...unless I am missing a step somewhere above.

Just tested the same process with Keynote, Audacity, Finale, Final Cut Pro, and Affinity...all work as before, it is only Office icons that seem to be resistant to change.

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Answer 2

Tsar Nikk Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 8, 2023 6:31 AM in response to Barney-15E

For whatever reason, Microsoft Office apps are not allowing their icon to be changed. Neither dragging directly onto the icon, nor Copy/Pasting into it are working, as they do for other non-System apps.

On another note...is there a way, then, to prevent applications that are open from appearing in the Dock, or is that just an automatic thing?

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Answer 3

ku4hx

Level 7

23,592 points

Oct 7, 2023 12:06 PM in response to Tsar Nikk

I've changed default icons by getting info on the app and dragging the desired icon onto the existing icon at top left of the panel. You have to highlight the default icon first; you may need to change new icon's file extension by saving/exporting to a new name and extension ... .png to .jpg for instance.

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Answer 4

Tsar Nikk Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 7, 2023 12:18 PM in response to ku4hx

This used to work, but hasn't in a while (I want to say since El Capitan or Sierra)...not unless I disable SIP, and I've had tons of issues when I've done that in the past, so prefer not to bother with that anymore...

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Answer 5

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,620 points

Oct 8, 2023 6:17 AM in response to Tsar Nikk

A symbolic link is not an application. It is a pointer to something in the file system.

When you choose a symbolic link as the application, it just points to the original application. It is designed to act just like the actual item in the file system.

You should be able to change the icon of any app not built-in to macOS using the icon well in Get Info as ku4hx described. You cannot change the built-in apps as they are on a read-only volume.

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Answer 6

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,620 points

Oct 8, 2023 6:43 AM in response to Tsar Nikk

All open apps appear in the Dock by default.

I've heard that an app can design itself to not show and stay hidden. It is probably some setting in the Info.plist file inside the app package.

I have Office 2019 and I can change the app icons.

Your screenshot shows you dropping a file onto the icon well. That hasn't worked in about a decade. You must open the image file, copy the entire image, then paste it into the selected icon well. From your description, this doesn't appear to be the problem you are having, but just noting that it no longer works.

Office updates itself quite often. That would likely reset the icon. I think you would just be fighting it unless you disabled the automatic updates (if possible).

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Answer 7

Tsar Nikk Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 8, 2023 6:46 AM in response to Barney-15E

Dropping it into the icon well worked for me pre-Sonoma (and still works with non-System, non-Office icons). In fact, I just changed MakeMusic Finale using this technique to verify.

Copy/Pasting into the Icon Well also works. Just not with Office (or System) icons.

When you say I must open the Image file...do you mean going into the Package Contents and finding the icon image file it is using? Or is that somewhere else? While my Office version is 2021, I can't imagine that it would be much different (and the two above methods worked before I upgraded to Sonoma in the past 2 weeks).

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Answer 8

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,620 points

Oct 8, 2023 8:30 AM in response to Tsar Nikk

No, I mean opening the file, select all, then copy.

Dragging a file to the well uses the icon resource of the file, not the embedded image. If you are somehow modifying the icon resource to contain the image in the file, then drag and drop will work.

It has worked that way for nearly a decade.

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