How to keep the default desktop icons and mouse pointer when changing the Windows 11 theme

It's fun to enhance your Windows experience with a new look. You can also use landscape wallpapers or cool themes to animate your desktop and other system areas.

However, some themes that change the appearance of the screen can also change the desktop icons and even the mouse pointer. But what if you like the native Windows icons or don't like the themed icons or mouse pointers?

By tweaking just a few settings, you can keep the default Windows icons while enjoying new themes. Let's find out how to do it through the following article!

How to keep original desktop icons when changing themes via Settings

For example, you have added the Star Wars theme as shown below. As you can see, the default icons have also been changed according to the theme.

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You prefer the default Windows icons to the icons your new theme provides. Don't worry, you can easily prevent the Star Wars theme or any other theme from changing your desktop icons. Please perform the following steps before applying a new theme:

1. Right click on the desktop, select Personalize , then select theme from the right pane in Personalization settings .

2. In the Themes settings , under Related settings , click Desktop icon settings .

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3. Then, in the Desktop Icon Settings window , uncheck the box next to Allow themes to change desktop icons .

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4. Finally, click Apply > OK.

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Now, whenever you change the theme, your default desktop icons won't change.

How to use a combination of both theme icons and default desktop icons

Assuming you only like the two desktop icons of the new theme and want to keep the other default desktop icons, you can do that too.

Again, let's take the Star Wars theme icons as an example. Say, you don't want to use Darth Vader as the icon for This PC and R2-D2 as the icon for the Recycle Bin, but you want to use Stormtrooper as the icon for Files and X-Wing Starfighter for Network .

You can keep the theme icons you like and replace the theme icons you don't like with the default icons. Here's how to do it:

1. Right-click on the desktop and select Personalize > Themes > Desktop icon settings .

2. In Desktop Icon Settings , select each theme icon you want to change. So choose This PC or Darth Vader first , as shown in the screenshot below. Then click on Restore Default .

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You will see the theme icon change back to the default icon in the desktop icon settings.

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3. Now change the Recycle Bin or R2-D2 back to the default icon.

4. Finally, click Apply > OK.

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Now you can enjoy a personalized Windows experience with all your desktop icons customized to your liking.

How to keep the original desktop icons when changing themes through Registry Editor

You can also use Registry Editor to make sure that the theme doesn't change desktop icons. However, adjusting registry settings needs to be done with caution. Therefore, the article recommends that you create a restore point in case something goes wrong. Then follow the steps below:

1. Click Win + R keys at the same time to open Run. Type regedit in the navigation bar and press Enter or use one of the many ways to open the Registry Editor. Then click Yes on UAC.

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2. Now, navigate through the registry using the following path to get to Themes:

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionThemes

3. On the right pane of the theme, double click on DWORD: ThemeChangesDesktopIcons

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4. In the EDIT DWord window , change the Value data from 1 to 0 . And click OK.

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5. Close Registry Editor.

Now, when you change to a new theme, the desktop icons will not change according to that theme.

You can easily reverse this by navigating to the registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionThemes

Then double click on DWORD: ThemeChangesDesktopIcons and change Value Data to 1 . From now on, new themes you apply will be able to install new icons instead of the default desktop icons.

How to keep the original mouse pointer when changing themes

Some themes also change the mouse pointer to extend the theme effect further in Windows.

The Star Wars theme used for this tutorial will change the mouse pointer to a colorful lightsaber. It's eye-catching, but not very handy, especially when working on text documents.

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But you can easily restore the default arrow mouse pointer to work as smoothly and efficiently as before. However, to get the default mouse pointer back, you will have to edit the registry as there is no other option in Settings.

But rest assured, all operations are very easy. Navigate to the same Themes key as you did before to tweak the desktop icon key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionThemes

On the right pane, just below DWORD: ThemeChangesDesktopIcons , you'll find DWORD: ThemeChangesMousePointers.

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Double click on it and change Value data  to 0 . Then press OK.

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The default Windows arrow pointer will appear in the new themes you apply on your PC.

Lesley Montoya

Update 20 March 2023