Windows lets you customize its look in lots of ways, and one of the coolest is the ability to change almost any icon to suit your style or to create themes. While there's no shortage of icons available online, why not make your own? It's much easier than you might think, especially with the help of Axialis IconWorkshop. True to its name, it handles just about every aspect of the job, from creating, extracting, and converting icons to managing whole libraries of them. The full-featured IconWorkshop is free to use for 30 days. The latest release has tons of updates and new features, tops among them the ability to create Android and iPhone icons. But it also has many new Object packs, more image formats, bitmap editing, enhanced batch processing, and Windows 8, Mac OS X, and Photoshop plug-in compatibility.

Setting up IconWorkshop includes choosing icon file associations, with an option to automatically repair incorrect associations (something we'd like to see in other programs, too). We could also choose a Mac OS option. IconWorkshop lets you open, modify, and save Mac OS-compatible icons as well as convert them to BinHex and Windows ICO. Clearly, this is a program that takes icons seriously! That impression was strengthened by well-configured user interface that follows the popular Explorer-style layout, with a Web-style toolbar, a tree view/navigation sidebar to the left of the main window, and palettes and tools on the right. We clicked Windows Icon under Create New Projects on IconWorkshop's comprehensive Start Screen. A detailed wizard screen started us off on what proved a remarkably easy process, considering the dizzying array of choices. Anyone who has used photo or graphics editors, drawing programs, and similar tools won't have any trouble with IconWorkshop's layout or features, but a top-quality Help file and manual is a click away.

Making icons with IconWorkshop is easy and fun. Obviously, there's an art to the design process, too, since detail gets lost or blurred when sizing icons. But Axialis IconWorkshop has every step covered when it comes to creating icons for Windows -- or, better yet, your smartphone. And how cool is that?

Easy PNG to Icon Converter

This program is a tool for fast converting PNG images to Icons by just a few clicks. This program supports Windows Vista icons format (PNG icons). The icons created with this program can be viewed on all versions of Microsoft Windows. This tiny tool is very helpful for programmers that want to make their application icon from a PNG file. You can install this tool on your computer or use it as a portable program without installing.

RealWorld Icon Editor

RealWorld Icon Editor is a complete solution for icon authors offering multiple ways for creating of XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Mac icons and for managing icon libraries. RealWorld icon maker can convert images to icons using a highly configurable operation, which is able to auto-detect background color, sharpen or soften generated images, enhance edges by a custom shadow effect on per-image basis (and auto-detect if a shadow is even needed). The application integrates a simple 3D graphics editor and users can create high-quality icons from 3D models without leaving the application. The 3D editor allows creation of icons with natural materials, perspective, lighting and shadows.

A built-in image editor with layers and layer styles is powerful enough to eliminate need for a dedicated image editor when creating top-quality icons. Users searching for fast solutions can assemble icons from ready-to-use parts by dragging and dropping (or just double-clicking) them from a Library panel within the application. With RealWorld Icon Editor, users do not need artistic talent and they still can create perfect icons using trial and error approach very quickly in the built-in 3D editor. A library with icons and source 3D models is bundled with the application. The functionality can be easily enhanced by downloading media packs and plug-ins directly from within the application. A fully portable version is available - carry your icon editor on an USB stick and work on any computer Windows 2000 or later Windows OS.

It sometimes seems there are as many tools for editing icons as there are icons in the world. But this program stands out, with a built-in 3D editor that can help set newly created icons apart. It doesn't come close to what can be done with a full-fledged graphics package, but certainly proves enough for 64x64 icons, even offering some limited support for 3D Studio files. The interface is fully customizable, with the ability to create helpful macros.

All of this said, the software does fall short in several respects. Icons must be designed individually, with no ability to create a whole set at once, as some tools provide. The application lacks features for managing icon libraries, or tools for quickly changing the folder and file icons on your own system. Nevertheless, its unique features may make RealWorld Icon Editor worth a look for icon designers.

BeCyIconGrabber

BeCyIconGrabber is a very small app that extracts icons contained in resource files (DLL, ICL, OCX, CPL, SRC, ICO and CUR). It also enables saving them singly in ICO, CUR, BMP, or PNG files, or collectively within resource libraries (DLL icon libraries or ICL cursor libraries).

IconLover

Whether you are a professional icon designer, software developer or you simply like to customize your desktop and folders, you will love this icon editor. IconLover is an all-in-one solution providing tools to create, edit, manage, store, search, import, download and convert icons and cursors of various formats including packed Windows 8.1/8/7Vista icons.

The icon software has all the necessary features that will satisfy an experienced designer: "Layers" design model, alpha-blending, a wide range of special effects, sophisticated transformations, etc. No more switching between several applications! IconLover has all you need and shows it all in the same window using the popular tabbed interface. You can have an editor window in one tab and a browser window in another. It's easier than ever thanks to a superbly efficient interface. IconLover saves time. Browse icon libraries, import icons from various resources (executables, dynamic link libraries, image collections) by simply clicking tabs in the IconLover window. Icon-Lover supports drag-and-drop. Drag files right from your Windows Explorer windows. Need to import multiple icons all at once? Want to convert multiple files into icons? Nothing could be easier. IconLover supports batch operations! You can accurately convert large collections with only a few mouse clicks. IconLover can work with a vast variety of formats. Convert to and from BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, WMF, WBMP, CUR and more. Now you can even work with Unix icons and cursor resources (XPM and XBM). And you can make icons from AI, PDF, SVG images! IconLover is created by and for designers to make icons. IconLover is made with love.

Any to Icon

If what you crave for is a pain-free ability to create your own icons, then Any to Icon Pro may be the way to go. This slim application provides you with a handy conversion wizard to produce multi-resolution Windows icons from images and Mac OS icons. Images may come in a variety of formats, including BMP, WBMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG, PSD, TIFF, XPM, XBM, ANI, and CUR. In addition to icon creation, Any to Icon Pro gives you an extra ability to extract icons from folders and libraries to save them as individual icons in folders of your choice. Creating icons with Any to Icon Pro is remarkably easy and does not require any advanced knowledge of computers, or graphic design. The program offers you a wizard that guides you through all icon conversion stages in a point-and-click fashion. Simply select a file, or a folder with images, customize icon output settings that include icon size, color depth, transparency, and specify a destination folder. Based on these settings, the converter automatically produces an icon or a set of icons in a blink of an eye. For your convenience, Any to Icon Pro supports drag-and-drop for adding image files from Windows Explorer with a mouse. Any to to Icon can convert AI, PDF, SVG vector files to Windows icons also.

Though this small icon converter offers an impressive set of conversion options, it falls short of greatness given its trial limitations. Any to Icon helps you convert many types of files into Windows icons. We were very impressed with the variety of files the program was able to import. In addition to the usual suspects--BMP, GIF, and JPEG--Any to Icon can work with Photoshop PSD files and WBMPs, as well as many other popular image formats, executables, animated cursors, Mac icons, or even WMF and EMF metafiles. Though you can resize or adjust color, this small tool won't let you edit an icon (like a design program would, for example) or apply advanced filters. Also, though 30 trial runs might seem generous, it's simply not sufficient to get some serious icon work done. For the casual user, Any to Icon may suffice, but power users may need to find a more flexible program.

Greenfish Icon Editor Pro

Greenfish Icon Editor Pro is a professional tool for creating icons, cursors, and other small pixelgraphic images. It has a wide range of features, can handle ICO/CUR/PNG/XPM/BMP/JPEG/PCX/SVG/TIFF files, can create Vista-compatible, PNG compressed icons and has many filters including Drop shadow, and glow and bevel. Layer support with advanced selection handling makes it a really professional and unique freeware tool for designing pixelgraphic images.

Greenfish Icon Editor Pro's user interface looked like a stripped down version of Photoshop, complete with tool and color palettes. A menu bar at the top of the window allows for easy access to its features. Immediately, we were asked what action we wanted to perform: Create a new graphic, Create a new library, Open an existing document, or Batch convert image files. We opted to first create a new graphic, which opened a new window containing a grid. Using the Rectangle and Ellipse tools, we were able to quickly draw a shape. The Color Picker palette let us easily select a color from an HSB Map, as well as a selection of swatches. But you can also create your own color formula or enter an HTML value. Our first icon masterpiece left lots to be desired, but we found ourselves getting better and better as we practiced with the tools. We were able to save the newly created icon as a JPEG, GIF, and BMP file, among others. The program's batch conversion feature was extremely intuitive. We simply clicked the Add button to browse for the files we wanted to convert, and selected the file type and save location. Our files were instantly converted to JPEGs.

The program does contain a well thought out online Help file should you need a little extra guidance. The program is ready to use once it's extracted, so it doesn't leave anything behind. We highly recommend Greenfish Icon Editor Pro for any users looking to create their own custom icons.

Junior icon Editor

Junior icon Editor allows you to edit icons for Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP, 2003, 2000, ME, 98, 95, NT, iOS, Linux, Android, web and other. Junior icon Editor supports ICO, PNG, XPM, XBM and ICPR icon formats. Using this program you can create and edit icons in either standard or custom sizes, with color depths up to 32-bit True Color with 8-bit alpha channel. Paint tools include color replacer, color selector, spray can, pencil, brush, flood fill, text tool, line tool, rectangle, curve, and ellipse. For Windows XP and Windows Vista/7/8 icons, you get to use semi-transparency.

Launching Junior icon Editor opens a window with a interface similar to the Windows paint program. You can set Junior icon Editor to open to a new icon window or nothing. The new icon window shows a grid display with the grid matching the resolution of the icon you want to create. Along the left side are a set of drawing tools typical to most paint programs, including a color picker, eraser, pencil, airbrush, paint brush and bucket (flood fill), text, rectangles, ellipses and lines. On the right side of the grid is a color chart (256) to choose from 256 colors. The grid overlay is tabbed, allowing you to open and work on more than one icon, either different sizes of the same icon, or completely different icons. Also shown on the right is a display of how your icon(s) appears actual size. With these tools, anyone can take advantage of the grid overlay and fill in the squares to create an icon that maximizes your artistic skills.

IconEdit2

Create and edit icon files for Windows, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Android with professional yet easy-to-use Icon Editor. IconEdit2 has full support for semi-transparency and multi-image icon files. Easily manage color depths and image sizes. Open/Save ICO, Import/Export GIF, TIFF, BMP, JPEG or PNG image files. Allows to paint, undo/redo, search for icons in your files and capture screen areas. Can save your work as multi-image ICO containing a number of image sizes and color depths. One-click image export for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Android.

Any computer user who completely wants to customize their desktop has to figure out how to change and create icons. This bare-bones program for designing icons doesn't have as many features as some of its rivals, but does offer a straightforward interface and approach that average users will likely appreciate. It provides a basic set of graphics tools for building icons from scratch, as well as a handful of visual effects. Alternately, users can use the screen-capture mode to copy and import an image. The program works well with AOL Instant Messenger, with a setting to create buddy icons and export them directly to the IM software. However, the trial version is severely limited, restricting the ability to save icons and test them in a real-world environment. Despite this flaw, we think the program may be of use to home computer users who want to customize their own icons, but don't need professional-level graphics power.

IcoFX

IcoFX is an icon editor. It is an all-in-one solution for icon creation, extraction, and editing. It is designed to work with Windows XP and Windows Vista icons supporting transparency. With a wealth of tools and more than 40 effects at your fingertips, there's virtually no limit to the icons you can create.