Windows application icons

Choose the icon you are changing

Windows has two separate cases: the icon embedded in an EXE, shown by Explorer, and the icon assigned to a running window. An export preset can change the former without changing the latter.

Set the executable icon

In the Windows Desktop export preset, enable application/modify_resources and set application/icon. Accepted input formats are ICO, PNG, WebP and SVG. A square source at least 256×256 avoids enlarging smaller artwork. Check readability at 16×16, not only at full size.

The exporter selects the first nonempty setting:

For PNG, WebP and SVG, export generates icon images at 16, 32, 48, 64, 128 and 256 pixels. You do not need an external ICO converter or rcedit for this export path.

If application/modify_resources is disabled, these preset changes do not replace the template's embedded icon. Set application/console_wrapper_icon only when the generated console helper needs a different icon; it does not select the main game's icon.

Set the running window icon

Use application/config/windows_native_icon for a Windows ICO, or application/config/icon for the general project image. These are project settings, distinct from application/icon in the export preset. If a Windows native icon is specified, it takes precedence over the general image during window startup.

When to prepare an ICO yourself

Use ICO when each display size needs different artwork. Include square entries for 16, 32, 48, 64, 128 and 256 pixels. The exporter warns about missing standard sizes and does not automatically fill them with the original template's images. A 256-only ICO is not a complete six-size icon.

Verify the export

1. Export to a new folder using the intended Windows preset. See Windows export.
2. Check the export log for invalid paths, unsupported images and missing-size warnings.
3. Check Game.exe and, if present, Game.console.exe separately in Explorer. Open the game and check its window icon separately.
4. If Explorer still shows an old icon, first inspect a newly named EXE in a new location. Explorer's cached display alone does not prove which images the file contains.