[Win 11] Replace (not remove) shortcut arrows


Jose Hidalgo

Jose Hidalgo

Active member
Local time
5:31 PM
Posts
120
OS
Windows 11
Hi everybody. New Win 11 user here 👋 (you may want to read my presentation here).

So, I know we can remove shortcut arrows in Win 11: 2 Ways to Remove Shortcut Arrows in Windows 11

However I don't want to remove them. I'd like to replace them with these green arrows from my current Win 7 which I particularly like:

2023.12.01 - 21.58.06.png

To be honest I don't remember how I got the green arrows there in the first place. It was 13 years ago, and they're still there, so I've gotten really used to them! 🤭

I don't know if they're still hidden somewhere within Win 11. But worst case scenario, they must be somewhere within my current Win 7, so I guess there has to be a way to get them out and import them to Win 11, right?

Could somebody help me with this? Thanks in advance!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Personal build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7700
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming B650M-Plus WiFi
    Memory
    DDR5 = 32 GB = 2x16 GB (Corsair Dominator - DDR5 RGB - 6000 MT/s)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Not yet
    Sound Card
    No
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips BDM3270QP2
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    M.2 = 2 TB (Samsung 990 Pro)
    SATA = 12 TB (Western Digital Red - WD120EFAX - 5400 rpm)
    PSU
    Corsair RM850e (850W - ATX 3.0)
    Case
    Corsair Crystal 280X TG (White, RGB)
    Cooling
    Intake = 2x120mm fans (Corsair LL120 RGB) / Exhaust = 2x120mm AIO (Aerocool Mirage L240)
    Keyboard
    Corsair K55 RGB
    Mouse
    Vertical mouse from AliExpress, very good for the price and a lifesaver for my wrist :)
    Internet Speed
    Fiber
    Browser
    Firefox, Brave, Tor
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    UPS = 1000VA (Nitram PB1000 LCD), protecting PC + Monitor + Speakers
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons]
"29"="C:\\User_Icons\\No Arrow.ico"
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WIN 11 Pro 24H2 - 26100.3323
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel XEON E5-2699 v3
    Motherboard
    ASUS X99-A
    Memory
    64GB Teamgroup UD4-3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ACER X34 Predator
    Screen Resolution
    3440 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Crucial CT1000P 3P SSD8 1TB
    Crucial CT1000 BX500 SSD 1TB
    PSU
    GameMax Pro
    Case
    Fractal Design
    Cooling
    Corsair H110iGT + 6 140mm Fans
    Keyboard
    Corsair K4
    Mouse
    G-Skill G502
    Internet Speed
    50MBs
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    OEM

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
www.elevenforum.com

Remove Shortcut Arrow Icon in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to remove the shortcut arrow overlay on all shortcut icons for all users in Windows 11. A shortcut is a link to an item (such as a file, folder, or app) on your PC. You can create shortcuts and then place them in a convenient location, such as on the desktop, so...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com

@Brink ... Snap!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 2xH2 (latest update ... forever anal)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Slim S01
    CPU
    Intel i5-12400
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GT730
    Sound Card
    OOBE
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 32"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    512GB KIOXIA NVMe
    1TB SATA SSD
    PSU
    OOBE
    Case
    OOBE
    Cooling
    OOBE
    Keyboard
    BT
    Mouse
    BT
    Browser
    Brave FFox Chrome Opera
    Antivirus
    KIS
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 2xH2 (latest update ... 4ever anal)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion 15
    CPU
    i7-1165G7 @ 2.80GHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Hard Drives
    Samsung NVMe 512GB
    + numerous/multiple SSD Type C USB enclosures
    Internet Speed
    NBN FTTN 50
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    KIS
Rollback_Jockey said:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons]
"29"="C:\\User_Icons\\No Arrow.ico"
Click to expand...
You mean I could just find the green arrow .ico file, put it in a folder, and then use the registry to point to that folder, right? That looks great. :)

Now I only need to find that green arrow and copy it. Any thoughts on doing so from my Win 7?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Personal build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7700
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming B650M-Plus WiFi
    Memory
    DDR5 = 32 GB = 2x16 GB (Corsair Dominator - DDR5 RGB - 6000 MT/s)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Not yet
    Sound Card
    No
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips BDM3270QP2
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    M.2 = 2 TB (Samsung 990 Pro)
    SATA = 12 TB (Western Digital Red - WD120EFAX - 5400 rpm)
    PSU
    Corsair RM850e (850W - ATX 3.0)
    Case
    Corsair Crystal 280X TG (White, RGB)
    Cooling
    Intake = 2x120mm fans (Corsair LL120 RGB) / Exhaust = 2x120mm AIO (Aerocool Mirage L240)
    Keyboard
    Corsair K55 RGB
    Mouse
    Vertical mouse from AliExpress, very good for the price and a lifesaver for my wrist :)
    Internet Speed
    Fiber
    Browser
    Firefox, Brave, Tor
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    UPS = 1000VA (Nitram PB1000 LCD), protecting PC + Monitor + Speakers
Jose Hidalgo said:
there has to be a way to get them out and import them to Win 11
Click to expand...
First, you'll need the likes of Icon Viewer to find and extract it from W7...

5725.png

then use one of the aforementioned methods, or, WinaeroTweaker or CustomizerGod to implant it into W11.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Strix
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
Jose Hidalgo said:
You mean I could just find the green arrow .ico file, put it in a folder, and then use the registry to point to that folder, right? That looks great. :)

Now I only need to find that green arrow and copy it. Any thoughts on doing so from my Win 7?
Click to expand...
That's exactly how i do it, i have loads of custom Icons so keep them all in one place. You don't have to seperate the icon, just point to it wherever it lives.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WIN 11 Pro 24H2 - 26100.3323
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel XEON E5-2699 v3
    Motherboard
    ASUS X99-A
    Memory
    64GB Teamgroup UD4-3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ACER X34 Predator
    Screen Resolution
    3440 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Crucial CT1000P 3P SSD8 1TB
    Crucial CT1000 BX500 SSD 1TB
    PSU
    GameMax Pro
    Case
    Fractal Design
    Cooling
    Corsair H110iGT + 6 140mm Fans
    Keyboard
    Corsair K4
    Mouse
    G-Skill G502
    Internet Speed
    50MBs
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    OEM
Thanks @Edwin. Just installed IconViewer, and a search within the Windows directory finds 14 "shell32.dll" files.

However, I have tried 3 of them with IconViewer, and they don't have that green arrow. They have the arrow from your screen cap (#16769) but no green arrow at all. So where could it be? 🤔 (and should I try all 14 "shell32.dll" files just to be sure? 😅)

If anybody know where to find or download that .ico... thanks in advance!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Personal build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7700
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming B650M-Plus WiFi
    Memory
    DDR5 = 32 GB = 2x16 GB (Corsair Dominator - DDR5 RGB - 6000 MT/s)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Not yet
    Sound Card
    No
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips BDM3270QP2
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    M.2 = 2 TB (Samsung 990 Pro)
    SATA = 12 TB (Western Digital Red - WD120EFAX - 5400 rpm)
    PSU
    Corsair RM850e (850W - ATX 3.0)
    Case
    Corsair Crystal 280X TG (White, RGB)
    Cooling
    Intake = 2x120mm fans (Corsair LL120 RGB) / Exhaust = 2x120mm AIO (Aerocool Mirage L240)
    Keyboard
    Corsair K55 RGB
    Mouse
    Vertical mouse from AliExpress, very good for the price and a lifesaver for my wrist :)
    Internet Speed
    Fiber
    Browser
    Firefox, Brave, Tor
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    UPS = 1000VA (Nitram PB1000 LCD), protecting PC + Monitor + Speakers
Jose Hidalgo said:
So where could it be?
Click to expand...
K..., let's go back to @Rollback_Jockey 's suggestion...,
If you can still access the W7 machine find out where the special icon resides from within the Registry, fetch it and port it over to the W11 machine.

0005798.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Strix
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
I can certainly access the Win 7 machine, it's still my main rig 😛

But that's where the plot thickens: as you can see from the screenshot, my Win 7 only has two items within the Shell Icons key: the default, and the #3 which corresponds to the default folder image for all my folders. No green arrows at all, they must be configured elsewhere.

2023.12.02 - 03.58.41.png

However I have good news: looking at that same dll (imageres.dll), I finally managed to find the green arrow! 😄 It was #163. So nevermind where my registry is storing it: with IconView I managed to save it, and now I can import it to another computer.

One last question: IconView shows a lot of versions of that icon:
48x48 (16 colors)
32x32 (16 colors)
16x16 (16 colors)
48x48 (256 colors)
32x32 (256 colors)
16x16 (256 colors)
256x256, 32bit
48x48 (32 bit)
32x32 (32 bit)
16x16 (32 bit)

Does Win 11 need only one of those, and if yes, which one to pick? Thanks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Personal build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7700
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming B650M-Plus WiFi
    Memory
    DDR5 = 32 GB = 2x16 GB (Corsair Dominator - DDR5 RGB - 6000 MT/s)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Not yet
    Sound Card
    No
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips BDM3270QP2
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    M.2 = 2 TB (Samsung 990 Pro)
    SATA = 12 TB (Western Digital Red - WD120EFAX - 5400 rpm)
    PSU
    Corsair RM850e (850W - ATX 3.0)
    Case
    Corsair Crystal 280X TG (White, RGB)
    Cooling
    Intake = 2x120mm fans (Corsair LL120 RGB) / Exhaust = 2x120mm AIO (Aerocool Mirage L240)
    Keyboard
    Corsair K55 RGB
    Mouse
    Vertical mouse from AliExpress, very good for the price and a lifesaver for my wrist :)
    Internet Speed
    Fiber
    Browser
    Firefox, Brave, Tor
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    UPS = 1000VA (Nitram PB1000 LCD), protecting PC + Monitor + Speakers
Jose Hidalgo said:
Does Win 11 need only one of those, and if yes, which one to pick?
Click to expand...
Icon Viewer will Save it in the appropriate format, a layered .ico,
Icon Viewer is merely showing you those layers...

5729.png
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Strix
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
I get it now. Of course, .ico is a layered format. No more questions! 😊
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Personal build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7700
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming B650M-Plus WiFi
    Memory
    DDR5 = 32 GB = 2x16 GB (Corsair Dominator - DDR5 RGB - 6000 MT/s)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Not yet
    Sound Card
    No
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips BDM3270QP2
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    M.2 = 2 TB (Samsung 990 Pro)
    SATA = 12 TB (Western Digital Red - WD120EFAX - 5400 rpm)
    PSU
    Corsair RM850e (850W - ATX 3.0)
    Case
    Corsair Crystal 280X TG (White, RGB)
    Cooling
    Intake = 2x120mm fans (Corsair LL120 RGB) / Exhaust = 2x120mm AIO (Aerocool Mirage L240)
    Keyboard
    Corsair K55 RGB
    Mouse
    Vertical mouse from AliExpress, very good for the price and a lifesaver for my wrist :)
    Internet Speed
    Fiber
    Browser
    Firefox, Brave, Tor
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    UPS = 1000VA (Nitram PB1000 LCD), protecting PC + Monitor + Speakers
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