Why Custom Icons Don't Appear for Pinned Microsoft Store Apps
Question details
The user is unable to apply custom icons to Microsoft Store applications that are pinned to the Windows taskbar.
- Product
- Windows Taskbar
- Device & OS
- Windows
- Scenario
- Pinning a desktop shortcut with a customized icon to the Windows taskbar.
- Observed behavior
- The taskbar ignores the custom shortcut icon and reverts to the Microsoft Store application's default registered icon.
Note that Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps downloaded from the Microsoft Store handle icons differently than traditional desktop applications (Win32). Changing shortcut properties on the desktop will generally not affect the pinned taskbar state due to system restrictions.
Acknowledge Windows Taskbar Icon Restrictions for Store Apps
Windows automatically recreates or references the app’s registered package icon when pinned, overriding any custom shortcut icons you have set.
When you assign a custom icon to a desktop shortcut for a Microsoft Store application, the visual change is only effective on the Windows desktop. Once you pin that application to the taskbar, Windows directly references the AppxManifest file of the Store app to retrieve its original, registered default icon.
Attempting to manually modify the icon files located in the `%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar` directory will also not resolve this issue, as the operating system continually overrides custom icons for packaged Store apps.
Check if the application was downloaded from the Microsoft Store. If it is a UWP or modern Windows app, custom taskbar icons are not officially supported by the operating system.
If you strongly prefer using your custom icons, keep the customized application shortcuts on your desktop and launch the applications from there instead of pinning them to the taskbar.
Switch to WPS Office for a Customizable Desktop Experience
Unlike heavily restricted Microsoft Store apps, WPS Office is a traditional, lightweight desktop application suite. It provides a fully customizable experience, including complete control over your taskbar shortcuts and icons, along with seamless migration and a familiar user interface.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does changing the icon in the Quick Launch folder not work for Store apps?
Windows automatically refreshes and references the registered default icon for Microsoft Store apps directly from their package manifest. This system-level behavior overrides any manual icon changes made in the User Pinned TaskBar folder.
Does this issue affect traditional desktop (.exe) programs?
No, traditional Win32 desktop programs usually allow custom icons on the taskbar. You can change their shortcut icon on the desktop and then pin that modified shortcut to the taskbar successfully.
Is there any workaround to force custom icons for Store apps on the taskbar?
While some third-party taskbar customization tools or shortcut launchers can circumvent this by launching a shortcut script instead of the app directly, modifying system-level Store app behaviors is officially unsupported by Microsoft.
