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Changing the folder dock icons in Leopard

When you create a new stack (really a folder) on the dock in Leopard, you end up with an icon that doesn't really tell you what is in the stack. But there is a trick that allows you to change the icon of a stack on the Dock. It turns out that the dock will use the image of the first listed entry in the folder for the given stack. So you can find an image you like (I think it needs to be in .png format) and give it a name so that it always will be shown first (I use the name 00-icon.png) and put it in the folder that the stack is for. Then right-click on the stack icon and select "Sort by" and choose "Name". The dock will instantly update to show the new icon that you have put in the folder. Very neat.
Rating: 81% positive, 11 total Votes
Categories: Leopard Mac customization Dock
Added: on Nov 09, 2007 at 7:43 am
Added By: an anonymous user
Searches: dock leopard icon stack folder

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Good workaround, but it sure would be better to at least have the choice in Preferences.... I can't really imagine why I would want a folder icon in the dock to display the first item in that folder- am I missing something?
– Added by an anonymous user on Dec 27, 2007 at 9:55 am
No I totally agree... this seems like a pretty lame design decision by Apple. At least this work-around makes it presentable. But it's a hack in the truest sense of the word.
– Added by an anonymous user on Dec 27, 2007 at 10:58 pm
This is excellent advice, thanks! The new leopard dock icons have been driving me nuts. Why would they make them so similar and not allow you to change them easily?
– Added by an anonymous user on Feb 09, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Thanks, I tried this but it only displayed a tiny folder inside a square box in the dock...
– Added by an anonymous user on Feb 09, 2008 at 4:02 pm
I was able to do this with a jpg image.
– Added by an anonymous user on Aug 27, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Instead of selecting "sort by: name", select "show as: folder", Leopard will show the original icon
– Added by an anonymous user on Sep 13, 2008 at 6:38 pm
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