How to Allow or Prevent Themes to Change Desktop Icons in Windows 10


Windows includes the common This PC, User's Files, Network, Recycle Bin, and Control Panel shortcuts that you can add or remove as icons on your desktop.

You can also change the default icon used for This PC, User's Files, Network, and Recycle Bin everywhere in Windows to be any icon you want.

By default, themes are allowed to change the icon used for these desktop icons. If you changed the icon of any of these default icons to what you wanted, you may not want them to be changed whenever you change your theme.

This tutorial will show you how to allow or prevent themes to change desktops icons for your account in Windows 10.


 CONTENTS:

  • Option One: To Allow or Prevent Themes to Change Desktop Icons in Desktop Icon Settings
  • Option Two: To Allow or Prevent Themes to Change Desktop Icons using a REG file





OPTION ONE

To Allow or Prevent Themes to Change Desktop Icons in Desktop Icon Settings


1. Open Settings, and click/tap on the Personalization icon.

If you like, you can open Run (Win+R), enter the command below, and click/tap on OK to directly open Desktop Icon Settings at step 4 below instead.

rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL desk.cpl,,0

2. Click/tap on Themes on the left side, and click/tap on the Desktop icon settings link on the right side under Related Settings. (see screenshot below)

Allow or Prevent Themes to Change Desktop Icons in Windows 10-desktop_icon_settings.jpg

3. You can now close Settings if you like.

4. Check (default) or uncheck the Allow themes to change desktop icons box for what you want, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

Allow or Prevent Themes to Change Desktop Icons in Windows 10-desktop_icon_settings-2.png






OPTION TWO

To Allow or Prevent Themes to Change Desktop Icons using a REG file



The .reg files below will modify the DWORD value in the registry key below.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes

ThemeChangesDesktopIcons DWORD

0 = Prevent
1 = Allow

1. Do step 2 (allow) or step 3 (prevent) below for what you would like to do.


 2. To Allow Themes to Change Desktop Icons

This is the default setting.

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Allow_themes_to_change_desktop_Icons.reg

Download


 3. To Prevent Themes to Change Desktop Icons

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Prevent_themes_to_change_desktop_Icons.reg

Download

4. Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6. When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7. If you like, you can now delete the downloaded .reg file.


That's it,
Shawn


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