Change .pdf icons to generic icon instead of preview image

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Level 1

10 points

Change .pdf icons to generic icon instead of preview image

How can I change the icon of a .pdf on the desktop to the more generic red and white Adobe logo instead of the little preview picture? With the old-style icon it's easy to determine what's a .pdf - with everything a little preview now (which is too small to tell anything, at least for me) I have to actually read the file name to see what type of file it is.

Not the end of the world but it would be nice to change.

thanks

iMac i7, Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Oct 26, 2010 11:01 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

jsd2

Level 5

6,245 points

Oct 26, 2010 12:12 PM in response to azmilt

What app do you want your PDF files to open with when they are double-clicked?

If you click on the Desktop, type Command-J, and in the Desktop's view-options window uncheck the box for "Show icon preview," you will convert all the Desktop icons to whatever image the default "Open with" app has provided. If you have set Adobe Reader as the default app for PDF files, the icon will look like this:
!http://i55.tinypic.com/2r4hf6p.jpg!

If you have set Preview as the default app, the icon will look like this:
!http://i51.tinypic.com/264noea.jpg!

I don't know of an automatic way to have PDF files display an Adobe icon and still have them open in Preview when double-clicked.

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Answer 2

macjack

Level 10

111,204 points

Oct 26, 2010 11:11 AM in response to azmilt

Download Adobe Reader
and choose it as your default. Then go to any .pdf and "Get Info" (command-i) and under Open With > Choose Adobe Reader, then check change all. It may take a restart or you may have to open each file for the icon change to take effect, I don't remember.

-mj

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Answer 3

azmilt Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 26, 2010 2:32 PM in response to jsd2

That was the one I was looking for, thank you!

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