Get your new theme up and running in a few minutes
Your download is a .zip file containing everything you need: wallpapers, folder icons, and this guide.
Open Finder and go to your Downloads folder. You'll see a file like cozy-theme-name.zip.
macOS will automatically extract it into a new folder right next to the zip file. That's it!
Open the new folder. You should see:
Open File Explorer and go to your Downloads folder. You'll see a file like cozy-theme-name.zip.
Right-click the zip file and choose Extract All..., then click Extract.
Open the extracted folder. You should see:
Open the Wallpaper/ folder, find wallpaper-desktop.jpg (or wallpaper-laptop.jpg for smaller screens) and right-click it (or Control + click).
Click it and your wallpaper changes instantly. Done! (On older macOS versions, this may say "Set Desktop Picture".)
Open the Wallpaper/ folder, find wallpaper-desktop.jpg (or wallpaper-laptop.jpg for smaller screens) and right-click it.
Click it and your wallpaper changes instantly. Done!
This is the fun part! You'll replace the default folder icons with the cozy themed ones from the Mac_icons/ folder (.png files).
This method works for any folder, anywhere on your Mac. You can customize folders in Documents, Downloads, or any location you like. If you want your setup to match the theme preview, we recommend starting with the folders on your Desktop first.
This is the fun part! You'll replace the default folder icons with the cozy themed ones from the Windows_icons/ folder (.ico files).
This method works for any folder, anywhere on your PC. You can customize folders in Documents, Downloads, or any location you like. If you want your setup to match the theme preview, we recommend starting with the folders on your Desktop first.
Go to the Mac_icons/ folder and double-click the .png icon file you want to use. It will open in Preview (the default image viewer).
In Preview, press ⌘ A to select the entire image, then ⌘ C to copy it.
Go to the folder you want to customize. Right-click it and choose Get Info (or select it and press ⌘ I).
At the very top-left of the Get Info window, you'll see a small folder icon. Click it once. It will get a subtle blue highlight to show it's selected.
Press ⌘ V. The folder icon changes instantly! Close the Get Info window.
Sometimes Finder needs a refresh. Press ⌥ ⌘ Esc to open "Force Quit", select Finder, then click Relaunch.
Open next icon in Preview → ⌘A → ⌘C → right-click folder → Get Info → click icon → ⌘V. It gets faster each time!
Find the folder you want to customize, right-click it, and select Properties at the bottom of the menu.
In the Properties window, you'll see several tabs at the top. Click the one that says Customize.
A new window appears. Click Browse... and navigate to the Windows_icons/ folder inside your extracted theme. Select the .ico file you want.
Click OK to confirm the icon, then click Apply in the Properties window. Your folder icon changes immediately!
Right-click any empty space on your desktop and select View, then choose the icon size that looks best: Small, Medium, or Large.
Right-click folder → Properties → Customize → Change Icon → Browse for .ico file → OK → Apply. Quick and easy once you've done it once!
Want to change icons for This PC, Recycle Bin, and other system desktop icons? Here's how:
Go to Settings → Personalization → Themes, then scroll down and click Desktop icon settings.
Click the icon you want to replace (e.g., This PC, Recycle Bin), then click Change Icon → Browse. Select the .ico file from your theme's Windows_icons/ folder, click Open → Apply → OK.
You can also change icons on application shortcuts (the ones on your desktop or taskbar):
Right-click the application shortcut and select Properties.
Click the Shortcut tab, then click Change Icon → Browse. Select the .ico file and click OK.
Want to go back to the original icons? Here's how for each type:
Make sure you clicked the small folder icon at the top-left of Get Info (not the large preview). It should have a blue highlight around it before you paste.
Make sure you're using the .png files from the Mac_icons/ folder. These are high-resolution and should look crisp on Retina displays.
Go back to Preview, make sure the icon image is open, press ⌘A then ⌘C again. Then try pasting in Get Info. The clipboard might have been overwritten.
Open Get Info for the folder, click the icon at top-left, then press the Delete key. The original folder icon will be restored.
The Customize tab only appears for regular folders. System folders (like Documents, Downloads) may not have it. Try it on a regular folder you created yourself.
Press F5 to refresh the folder view. If that doesn't work, try signing out and signing back in.
In the Browse dialog, make sure the file type filter is set to show Icon Files (*.ico). Navigate to the Windows_icons/ folder inside your extracted theme.
For folders: Properties → Customize → Change Icon → Restore Defaults → OK. For system icons: Desktop icon settings → select icon → Restore Default.
Open Settings, search for "desktop icon" in the search bar at the top. Click Desktop icon settings from the results. On Windows 10, it's under Settings → Personalization → Themes → Related Settings.
We don't recommend it. Removing shortcut arrows requires editing the Windows Registry, which can cause system instability. The arrows help you tell shortcuts apart from actual files.