Tahoe file icons are gray, generic rectangles

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Level 1

90 points

Tahoe file icons are gray, generic rectangles

After install of Tahoe, many file types have generic gray icons, both on desktop and in finder windows. Some 3rd party

The app and doc icons are as expected. In Get Info for the apps, the icon (upper right) shows the proper graphic. I can set the Change All (eg all Preview files to have the new Loop image). But this has no effect. I did Restart. System Pref for icon size is 64. I did try smaller sizes too. The icons show gray in all sizes.

For individual files, the pasting the app icon over the Get Info icon can change for that individual file, but even selecting Change All does not affect any of the same file type icons.

Any ideas welcome. See image

Thanks -B

Posted on Oct 26, 2025 5:07 PM

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Answer 1

leroydouglas

Level 10

200,790 points

Oct 26, 2025 5:10 PM in response to Benson Shaw

Benson Shaw wrote:

After install of Tahoe, many file types have generic gray icons, both on desktop and in finder windows. Some 3rd party

The app and doc icons are as expected. In Get Info for the apps, the icon (upper right) shows the proper graphic. I can set the Change All (eg all Preview files to have the new Loop image). But this has no effect. I did Restart. System Pref for icon size is 64. I did try smaller sizes too. The icons show gray in all sizes.

For individual files, the pasting the app icon over the Get Info icon can change for that individual file, but even selecting Change All does not affect any of the same file type icons.

Any ideas welcome. See image

Thanks -B

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/37c24537-0a62-4bbc-86c5-adb94913a5d7

You can open a few and see if the change accordingly..(?)

The current stable release of Tahoe including bug fixes, security updates is macOS 26.0.1

Keep your Mac up to date - Apple Support

To be proactive you can file a bug report / submit your Apple Feedback here: Product Feedback - Apple

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Answer 2

Benson Shaw Author

Level 1

90 points

Oct 26, 2025 8:36 PM in response to leroydouglas

thanks for that, @leroydouglass

Yes, Tahoe 26.0.1.

Might be a bug, but unlikely because if bug there would be MANY complaints.

Tried open a few pdf, png, jpg files. Icons for those extension types do not update when closed.

Question: what is appearance of your icons in 26.0.1?

Are those “sheet of paper with folded corner” icons in my screenshot same for other users of Tahoe 26.0.1 ? Is that the intended file icon graphic?

Because . . .

I did look at some Numbers files. The icons do show a tiny orange square as an insert in the larger white “sheet of paper with folded corner”.

Pages files also display the sheet of paper icon, but with a tiny green rectangle.

I am not finding that a custom icon applied in the Get Info pane of the app or of a file propagates to similar file types. Even if the Change All is enabled. An individual file does adopt the custom icon image, but no change to similar files.

Other ideas, anyone?

edits to original post (oops):

- the Preview app icon shows a “loupe”, not a “loop”, as I originally wrote.

- The Get Info icon to replace with a custom icon is upper left corner, not upper right, as originally stated.

-B

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