DockDoodle

DockDoodle › Guides

How to change app icons on your Mac

Swap any app's icon for one you made, with no extra software. These steps work on macOS Tahoe 26, Sequoia 15, Sonoma 14 and earlier.

Updated 11 October 2026 · 4 minute read

What you need

Method 1: copy and paste (fastest)

  1. In DockDoodle, click Copy. (Have a PNG file instead? Open it in Preview and press ⌘ A, then ⌘ C.)
  2. Open Finder › Applications and click the app once to select it.
  3. Press ⌘ I, or choose File › Get Info.
  4. Click the small icon at the top-left of the Info window, next to the app's name. It gets a highlight when selected.
  5. Press ⌘ V. Enter your password if macOS asks for it.

The new icon appears straight away in the Info window and in Finder.

Method 2: drag an .icns file

  1. Download your icon as .icns from DockDoodle.
  2. Open Get Info for the app (⌘ I).
  3. Drag the .icns file from Finder onto the small icon at the top-left of the Info window.

This is handy when you have a folder of icons and want to apply several in a row.

Make the Dock show the new icon

If the app is open, quit it and open it again. If the Dock still shows the old icon, open Terminal and run:

killall Dock

The Dock disappears for a second and comes back with your new icon. Nothing else is affected.

Need an icon first?

Draw one, stamp an emoji or remix a template. It's free and takes about a minute.

Make an icon

How to undo it

  1. Open Get Info for the app.
  2. Click the small icon at the top-left.
  3. Press Delete (⌫). The original icon comes back.

Folders and drives work too

The same steps change the icon of any folder, file or external drive. Select it, press ⌘ I, click the small icon and paste. It's a great way to colour-code project folders.

Troubleshooting

Nothing happens when I paste

Make sure you clicked the small icon at the top-left of the Info window, not the large preview at the bottom. Also check that the clipboard holds an image rather than a file. DockDoodle's Copy button and Preview's ⌘ C both copy the image itself.

I can't change Safari, Mail or other Apple apps

Apple's built-in apps live in a protected part of the system, so macOS doesn't let you change their icons this way. Third-party apps, folders and drives are fine.

My icon disappeared after an app update

Updates replace the app's files, and that can remove a custom icon. Keep your icon file handy and paste it again. In DockDoodle, click Save to My icons so you can re-export it any time.

The icon looks blurry

Start from a 1024 × 1024 image. DockDoodle always exports at full resolution, and the .icns includes sharp versions for every size.

My app has a gray box around its icon on macOS Tahoe

That's Tahoe's "squircle jail" for icons that don't match its template. Setting a custom icon is one of the easiest fixes. See how to fix gray-box icons on macOS Tahoe.

Tips for icons that look native