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How To Customize Folders With Desktop - Ini Files

You can customize a folder's appearance and behavior by creating a Desktop.ini file within it. The Desktop.ini file allows you to assign a custom icon, display info tips on hover, and modify folder properties like preventing sharing or deletion warnings. To customize a folder, first make it a system folder then add a Unicode formatted Desktop.ini file containing entries for options like the icon file, icon index, and info tip text.

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John Horniak
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285 views

How To Customize Folders With Desktop - Ini Files

You can customize a folder's appearance and behavior by creating a Desktop.ini file within it. The Desktop.ini file allows you to assign a custom icon, display info tips on hover, and modify folder properties like preventing sharing or deletion warnings. To customize a folder, first make it a system folder then add a Unicode formatted Desktop.ini file containing entries for options like the icon file, icon index, and info tip text.

Uploaded by

John Horniak
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to Customize Folders with

Desktop.ini

File system folders are commonly displayed with a standard icon and set of properties, which specify, for
instance, whether the folder is shared. You can customize the appearance and behavior of an individual
folder by creating a Desktop.ini file for that folder.

Instructions
Using Desktop.ini Files
Folders are normally displayed with the standard folder icon. A common use of the Desktop.ini file is to
assign a custom icon or thumbnail image to a folder. You can also use Desktop.ini to create an infotip that
displays information about the folder and controls some aspects of the folder's behavior, such as specifying
localized names for the folder or items in the folder.

Use the following procedure to customize a folder's style with Desktop.ini:

1. Use PathMakeSystemFolder to make the folder a system folder. This sets the read-only bit on the
folder to indicate that the special behavior reserved for Desktop.ini should be enabled. You can also
make a folder a system folder from the command line by using attrib +s FolderName.
2. Create a Desktop.ini file for the folder. You should mark it as hidden and system to ensure that it is
hidden from normal users.
3. Make sure the Desktop.ini file that you create is in the Unicode format. This is necessary to store the
localized strings that can be displayed to users.

Creating a Desktop.ini File


The Desktop.ini file is a text file that allows you to specify how a file system folder is viewed. The
[.ShellClassInfo] section, allows you to customize the folder's view by assigning values to several entries:

Entry Value

ConfirmFileOp Set this entry to 0 to avoid a "You Are Deleting a System Folder" warning when deleting
or moving the folder.

NoSharing Not supported under WindowsVista or later. Set this entry to 1 to prevent the folder
from being shared.
IconFile If you want to specify a custom icon for the folder, set this entry to the icon's file name.
The .ico file name extension is preferred, but it is also possible to specify .bmp files,
or .exe and .dll files that contain icons. If you use a relative path, the icon is available to
people who view the folder over the network. You must also set the IconIndex entry.

IconIndex Set this entry to specify the index for a custom icon. If the file assigned to IconFile only
contains a single icon, set IconIndex to 0.

InfoTip Set this entry to an informational text string. It is displayed as an infotip when the cursor
hovers over the folder. If the user clicks the folder, the information text is displayed in
the folder's information block, below the standard information.

The following illustrations are of the Music folder with a custom Desktop.ini file. The folder now:

Has a custom icon.


Does not display a "You Are Deleting a System Folder" warning if the folder is moved or deleted.
Cannot be shared.
Displays informational text when the cursor hovers over the folder.

The folder options in the following illustrations are set to show hidden files so that Desktop.ini is visible. The
folder looks like this:

When the cursor hovers over the folder, the infotip is displayed.
The custom icon replaces the folder icon everywhere the folder name appears.

The following desktop.ini file was used to customize the Music folder, as seen in the preceding illustrations.

[.ShellClassInfo]
ConfirmFileOp=0
NoSharing=1
IconFile=Folder.ico
IconIndex=0
InfoTip=Some sensible information.

2017 Microsoft

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