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Windows 7 icons - What do they mean?

Discussion Windows 7 icons - What do they mean?

  • Wednesday, November 30, 2011 4:41 PM
     
     
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    I've looked everywhere for a graphical list with descriptions of the icons in Windows 7. In particular, Windows Explorer folder icons. Has anyone come across such a list?
     

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  • Wednesday, November 30, 2011 6:02 PM
     
     
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    I have found some, but what icons are you asking about?

    1. The ones on the desktop?
    2. The ones on the taskbar?
    3. The ones you see when looking at files and folders?
    4. Other?

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  • Wednesday, November 30, 2011 8:27 PM
     
     
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    I'm hoping to find all of the above, but what got me started on this is the folders.
    Mike
     
  • Wednesday, November 30, 2011 8:33 PM
     
     
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    Not sure exactly what you are asking for, but I have an idea that you are just seeing icons when you look in folders, and you want to know what they are. If that is the case, you can simply change the view to show the files and folders in a different way.

    Sorry if that's not what you meant, but in that case, could you explain your problem a little more detailed?

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  • Wednesday, November 30, 2011 8:47 PM
     
     
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    It's not really a problem. I just want to know what the different icons/symbols mean in Windows Explorer, ie. a folder with a lock on it, a folder with an arrow in one direction or another, etc..
    Mike
     
  • Thursday, December 01, 2011 1:32 PM
     
     
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    I found this page. It has a lot of icons and their meanings. Scroll down to see the folders:

    http://www.howto-outlook.com/howto/icons.htm

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  • Thursday, December 01, 2011 2:41 PM
     
     
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    Thanks, that gets us through the Outlook icons. My users and I like that site. I would still like to find a list of the icons in Windows Explorer.
    Mike
     
  • Friday, December 02, 2011 3:54 AM
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    Could you tell us the specific icons?

    There're thousands of icons, no such a completed lists of them.

    Regards,

    Miya

    This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. | Please remember to click "Mark as Answer" on the post that helps you, and to click "Unmark as Answer" if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.
     
  • Sunday, December 04, 2011 10:44 PM
     
     
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    It's not really a problem. I just want to know what the different icons/symbols mean in Windows Explorer, ie. a folder with a lock on it, a folder with an arrow in one direction or another, etc..

    You might find more pertinent info if you search for the terms "Windows Explorer overlay icons".  The word "overlay" helps describe them, and such a search may lead you to sites like this: LINK REMOVED BECAUSE OF REPORT OF POSSIBLE MALWARE

    Presumably a little lock overlay icon means that the file is not shared, but those show up under some unpredictable circumstances.  The best advice I've seen so far is to ignore them.

    Keep in mind that programs that you add to your computer - e.g., ClassicShell or Tortoise SVN - can add their own overlay icons that mean special things as well.  However, I believe that even if a particular file or folder may be eligible for several different overlay icons, only one can be shown.  Which one that is is anyone's guess.

    -Noel


     
  • Monday, December 05, 2011 2:17 PM
     
     
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    Noel, the site you sent me to tried to download bogus software on my computer.

    Mike

    Mike
     
  • Monday, December 05, 2011 2:46 PM
     
     
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    Wow, sorry about that.  It was just one of the first Google results I got, and it didn't try to load anything on my system...

    But just for safety's sake I have removed the link from my post above.  Thanks for letting me know.

    -Noel

     
  • Wednesday, February 22, 2012 4:43 PM
     
     
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    How's this for specific:

    In Windows 7, click Start button.  Click on "Computer". Click on "Network".

    Now on the window that pops up, what do the icons MEAN?  Were looking for a list of what the icons are suppost to represent.

    Need more specific?

    Under "Media Devices" there is an icon with a green circle with a white triangle inside.  Double clicking and right clicking give different results for the different items listed even though they have the same icon.

    Is it possible that their isn't any standard and that the icons were randomly picked by the various software developers at Microsoft?

     
  • Wednesday, February 22, 2012 7:04 PM
     
     
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    In Windows 7, click Start button.  Click on "Computer". Click on "Network".

    Now on the window that pops up, what do the icons MEAN?  Were looking for a list of what the icons are suppost to represent.

    While I don't have the Media Devices you do, here is what I see:

    I can only guess that a "Media Device" would be something that allows you to access, view, or listen to media, such as an XBox or Zune or maybe a TV tuner.  Do you have devices such as these in your network?

    -Noel

    Detailed how-to in my new eBook: Configure The Windows 7 "To Work" Options

     
  • Tuesday, August 14, 2012 10:14 PM
     
     
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    Can anyone please tell me what this icon means. I have a lots of these appearing in different files and dont have a clue what it means.

     
  • Wednesday, August 15, 2012 1:14 AM
     
     
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    How's this for specific:

    In Windows 7, click Start button.  Click on "Computer". Click on "Network".

    Now on the window that pops up, what do the icons MEAN?  Were looking for a list of what the icons are suppost to represent.

    Need more specific?

    Under "Media Devices" there is an icon with a green circle with a white triangle inside.  Double clicking and right clicking give different results for the different items listed even though they have the same icon.

    Is it possible that their isn't any standard and that the icons were randomly picked by the various software developers at Microsoft?

    Icons don't "mean" anything, they are just images that are intended to reveal their implications to you through their gui intuitiveness. If they don't they are not well designed. Having to have them listed and described in words seems somewhat counter to the original concept.

    That said, you can often intuit some of their intent by hovering the mouse over them.

    Al Dunbar -- remember to 'mark or propose as answer' or 'vote as helpful' as appropriate.

     
  • Wednesday, August 15, 2012 1:19 AM
     
     
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    Can anyone please tell me what this icon means. I have a lots of these appearing in different files and dont have a clue what it means.

    "this folder restricted to members of the Blue Man Group"?

    But seriously, did these show up at about the time you installed a new application?

    If you see it on a shortcut, then open shortcut properties, then click the change icon button. you might get a clue from either the name of the file containing the icon, or the other icons located there. Also, if you right-click one of these folders, are there any unusual entries in the context menu?

    Al Dunbar -- remember to 'mark or propose as answer' or 'vote as helpful' as appropriate.

     
  • Sunday, December 30, 2012 8:36 PM
     
     
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    Came to this discussion as a result of same question initially asked. Question seems pretty straightforward to me, but it may be abstruse to the "experts" that have submitted responses/answers(?).  A hint of sarcasm seems to have crept in on some entries. In my situation I have an elderly friend who is attempting to become more comfortable with Windows 7 on his personal computer. He says that he would like to have an index of win 7 icons so that he could know in advance where he would be going if he clicked on one. E.g., if he sees an icon (on a tool bar) that he does not recognize he could go to his list and immediately know where that icon would take him.  Yes, he could simply click on the icon and open the file, but the back and forth, opening and closing of files can be a distraction to some individuals who may have limited experience, and perhaps not the greatest mental acuity.  Sometimes the answers to problems are simple, but not always so. And, sometimes answers do not exist, at least for the way in which the question is stated.
    • Edited by Tgambill Sunday, December 30, 2012 8:38 PM
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