Windows 8 Taskbar Icons – How to Launch Programs from Pinned Taskbar Custom Icons

iconspinningtaskbarwindows 8

I've just followed a tutorial on how to customize icons in Windows 8 (see link below). However, when I open the program, it shows the default icon in the taskbar and not the changed icon. How do I get the program to stay open in the custom icon, not in the default icon? Interestingly, the custom icon for Chrome browser is the only thing that works. The other custom icons, WMP and iTunes, doesn't work. I wonder why?

Tutorial: Customize Your Icons in Windows 7 and Vista

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Best Answer

Rebuild the icon cache as recommended above. If that doesn't help, try the following. While I don't have WMP or iTunes to test this with, it has worked with every other program I have tested with:

  1. Right-click the Desktop and create a new shortcut to the program's EXE

  2. Right-click the shortcut, click on Properties and Change the Icon

  3. Right-click the shortcut and Pin it to the Taskbar (once you do this, you can delete the original shortcut on the Desktop)

  4. Most important: Right-click the taskbar, click on Properties and select Always combine, hide labels:

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  5. Now you can click the new icon to run the program, and the icon should persist (which it doesn't seem to do when bigger taskbar buttons with labels are displayed)

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