Changing the default icon in a Windows Forms application

Solution 1:

The icons you are seeing on desktop is not a icon file. They are either executable files .exe or shortcuts of any application .lnk. So can only set icon which have .ico extension.

Go to Project Menu -> Your_Project_Name Properties -> Application TAB -> Resources -> Icon

browse for your Icon, remember it must have .ico extension

You can make your icon in Visual Studio

Go to Project Menu -> Add New Item -> Icon File

Solution 2:

The Icon displayed in the Taskbar and Windowtitle is that of the main Form. By changing its Icon you also set the Icon shown in the Taskbar, when already included in your *.resx:

System.ComponentModel.ComponentResourceManager resources = 
    new System.ComponentModel.ComponentResourceManager(typeof(MyForm));
this.Icon = ((System.Drawing.Icon)(resources.GetObject("statusnormal.Icon")));

or, by directly reading from your Resources:

this.Icon = new Icon("Resources/statusnormal.ico");

If you cannot immediately find the code of the Form, search your whole project (CTRL+SHIFT+F) for the shown Window-Title (presuming that the text is static)

Solution 3:

Add your icon as a Resource (Project > yourprojectname Properties > Resources > Pick "Icons from dropdown > Add Resource (or choose Add Existing File from dropdown if you already have the .ico)

Then:

this.Icon = Properties.Resources.youriconname;

Solution 4:

You can change the app icon under project properties. Individual form icons under form properties.