Changing icons on OS X El Capitan

[parzianello]

Hello there. Does anyone knows how can I change icons on OS X 10.11? It doesnt seems to work the info-copy and paste metod. Thanks

 

[redheeler]

System icons or app icons? If you're referring to system icons, you'll have to turn off rootless first.

Run this in Terminal and reboot:

sudo nvram boot-args="rootless=0"

You can also disable rootless through Recovery, and this may prove to be a more reliable method:

Boot into Recovery (start up holding down down Command-R until the Apple logo appears), and select "Security Configuration" from "Utilities" on the menu bar. Uncheck "Enforce System Integrity Protection", click "Apply Configuration", click "Apply" on the resulting prompt, and restart. Rootless will now be disabled.

 

[parzianello]

System icons or app icons? If you're referring to system icons, you'll have to turn off rootless first.

Run this in Terminal and reboot:

sudo nvram boot-args="rootless=0"

You can also disable rootless through Recovery, and this may prove to be a more reliable method:

Boot into Recovery (start up holding down down Command-R until the Apple logo appears), and select "Security Configuration" from "Utilities" on the menu bar. Uncheck "Enforce System Integrity Protection", click "Apply Configuration", click "Apply" on the resulting prompt, and restart. Rootless will now be disabled.

app icons like evernote, spotify etc.

 

[Traverse]

Aw man. You can't change default icons without disabling Rootless? Bleh. Makes sense though.

 

[surr3a1]

beta.6 - the icons can't be changed in any way, it doesn't matter if you disable/enable or anything. It is just impossible now!

EDIT: aliases and folders!

 

[KALLT]

beta.6 - the icons can't be changed in any way, it doesn't matter if you disable/enable or anything. It is just impossible now!

Still works for me for many apps, including third-party apps, App Store apps and some preinstalled apps (but not all). Evernote and Spotify work too. I don’t have System Integrity Protection disabled.

 

[surr3a1]

Well, I think I didn't express myself clearly... I was talking about aliases and folders. I have some folders like Movies, MP3, Photos etc. I can't change their icons. I've created aliases for these that I drag to the dock so that I get them opened directly to Finder. Previously these aliases' icons could be changed but not anymore. What is super strange though is that after the upgrade to El Capitan, some of my aliases have kept their custom icons as if these are by default, while others have reverted to the default one and can't be changed at all.

 

[KALLT]

Well, I think I didn't express myself clearly... I was talking about aliases and folders. I have some folders like Movies, MP3, Photos etc. I can't change their icons. I've created aliases for these that I drag to the dock so that I get them opened directly to Finder. Previously these aliases' icons could be changed but not anymore. What is super strange though is that after the upgrade to El Capitan, some of my aliases have kept their custom icons as if these are by default, while others have reverted to the default one and can't be changed at all.

Works also. Folder icons can be changed with by dragging an icon into the application icon in the Finder info panel. You might have to create new aliases to these folders to apply the same folder icon to the alias.

 

[surr3a1]

Hey Kallt, did you say drag? I was trying with copy paste and it didn't actually work. I assume that you have the v6 beta? I will give it a try. Thanks!

 

[jbarley]

beta.6 - the icons can't be changed in any way, it doesn't matter if you disable/enable or anything. It is just impossible now!

EDIT: aliases and folders!

No problem here changing icons in beta6

 

[flowrider]

PB6 does seem to work. PB5 did not! However, you can NOT edit a Drive icon. When you try to, you are prompted to enter your password, when you do, nothing happens. All my drive icons are custom, What I have been doing when I want to a change is to boot into Yosemite, make the change there and then boot back into El where the change holds.

Lou

 

[jbarley]

PB6 does seem to work. PB5 did not! However, you can NOT edit a Drive icon. When you try to, you are prompted to enter your password, when you do, nothing happens. All my drive icons are custom, What I have been doing when I want to a change is to boot into Yosemite, make the change there and then boot back into El where the change holds.

Lou

Once again, I'm having no problems whatsoever with changing icons, even drive icons.
I just tried it again, and changed my boot drive icon back to the default and then returned it to my SSD icon, no problem at all.
Like you I also use custom icons for my drives.

 

[flowrider]

Huh - When I try, it does change the icon in the preview box, but not the icon itself.

Lou

 

[surr3a1]

This is awful, I thought that it is because of the update and not clean install so I erased the whole drive and started again with clean install. This is the result:

 

[Erastopic]

App Store is the only one the system won't allow me to change.

I never realized that Apple did this until late as I made a new icon for Spotify, iBooks and App Store. After making all of them I changed them one by one until the App Store. I have no permissions what so ever.

I even tried the Terminal command - no luck (even after restarts)

Then I tried to go into recovery but under Utilities - Nothing about Security Configuration.

iTunes, Boot Camp, iBooks, Photos, Safari, Launchpad, Calendar and etc are all changeable but not the App Store. It is in full lockdown and it's starting to piss me off.

It was bad enough that they literally killed of Flavours (3rd party theming app), but now they have to lock down icon changing as well? I for one love to my Mac look personal, bad move Apple, bad move.

Edit: And yes, I'm the admin & owner of this laptop.

 

[jbarley]

Huh - When I try, it does change the icon in the preview box, but not the icon itself.

Lou View attachment 578878

Exactly the way mine seemed to change also, until I closed the info window and then re-opened it and the new icon appeared.

 

[jbarley]

This is awful, I thought that it is because of the update and not clean install so I erased the whole drive and started again with clean install. This is the result:

Try opening your icon file in preview, then select all (cmd+A) then copy (cmd+C), now try pasting this into the info window (cmd+V).

 

[redheeler]

App Store is the only one the system won't allow me to change.

I never realized that Apple did this until late as I made a new icon for Spotify, iBooks and App Store. After making all of them I changed them one by one until the App Store. I have no permissions what so ever.

I even tried the Terminal command - no luck (even after restarts)

Then I tried to go into recovery but under Utilities - Nothing about Security Configuration.

iTunes, Boot Camp, iBooks, Photos, Safari, Launchpad, Calendar and etc are all changeable but not the App Store. It is in full lockdown and it's starting to piss me off.

It was bad enough that they literally killed of Flavours (3rd party theming app), but now they have to lock down icon changing as well? I for one love to my Mac look personal, bad move Apple, bad move.

Edit: And yes, I'm the admin & owner of this laptop.

Try this in Terminal (Utilities > Terminal) while booted in Recovery:

csrutil disable

 

[surr3a1]

Try opening your icon file in preview, then select all (cmd+A) then copy (cmd+C), now try pasting this into the info window (cmd+V).

This is pretty much how I do it. I really don't get it. Completely new installation. How come I am the only one with this problem. I get this generic PNG icon every time.
I even assumed that all of my icons are corrupted and downloaded a new random one from DA, and still the same result.
I've run the command from terminal and the security is disabled.

 

[surr3a1]

This is pretty much how I do it. I really don't get it. Completely new installation. How come I am the only one with this problem. I get this generic PNG icon every time.
I even assumed that all of my icons are corrupted and downloaded a new random one from DA, and still the same result.
I've run the command from terminal and the security is disabled.

Ok, So it appears that I didn't do it the right way confused by the way it was done before. In any case I removed the Capitan and downgraded to Yosemite. My question is: when did they mess up with the way the icons are changed?

EDIT: I FOUND IT (Yosemite)!!! I am usually using Path Finder as a Finder replacement. Path Finder allows for you to drag the PNG file directly and it changes the icon without any problem. I tested with Finder because I haven't installed the other one yet. This is where all this mess came from. If anyone seeks to find the solution - there it is!
Peace!

 

[iSquirrelu]

System icons or app icons? If you're referring to system icons, you'll have to turn off rootless first.

Run this in Terminal and reboot:

sudo nvram boot-args="rootless=0"

You can also disable rootless through Recovery, and this may prove to be a more reliable method:

Boot into Recovery (start up holding down down Command-R until the Apple logo appears), and select "Security Configuration" from "Utilities" on the menu bar. Uncheck "Enforce System Integrity Protection", click "Apply Configuration", click "Apply" on the resulting prompt, and restart. Rootless will now be disabled.

Have done that, but don't get the "Security Configuration" option or mention of it anywhere in system utilities ?

 

[iSquirrelu]

Try this in Terminal (Utilities > Terminal) while booted in Recovery:

csrutil disable

Woot, that worked, thank you !

 

[benf0277]

Ok, So it appears that I didn't do it the right way confused by the way it was done before. In any case I removed the Capitan and downgraded to Yosemite. My question is: when did they mess up with the way the icons are changed?

EDIT: I FOUND IT!!! I am usually using Path Finder as a Finder replacement. Path Finder allows for you to drag the PNG file directly and it changes the icon without any problem. I tested with Finder because I haven't installed the other one yet. This is where all this mess came from. If anyone seeks to find the solution - there it is!
Peace!

Where do you drag the PNG to? The Info box or somewhere in the Resources? How would you change the other icons (i.e. Safari)?

Thanks,
-Ben

 

[surr3a1]

Where do you drag the PNG to? The Info box or somewhere in the Resources? How would you change the other icons (i.e. Safari)?

Thanks,
-Ben

Yes, you drag it directly onto the small icon on the top left of the info window. A small green "+" icon will appear and you drop it. It changes immediately but again this is in Path Finder.
All the rest of the icons I change using LiteIcon (unfortunately it does not support El Capitan yet).

 

[benf0277]

Yes, you drag it directly onto the small icon on the top left of the info window. A small green "+" icon will appear and you drop it. It changes immediately but again this is in Path Finder.
All the rest of the icons I change using LiteIcon (unfortunately it does not support El Capitan yet).

I figured out a solution to virtually all of the problems that the update caused:
Restart mac in Recovery Mode (CMD + R while starting up)
Open Terminal in Recovery Mode
Type: csrutil disable
Restart mac.

Now you can go about changing your icons in the Get Info window in Finder.
(This might be a security problem, but if you don't open questionable executable files you should be fine.)

You'll also need to change permissions in the Get Info Window.