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EnglishWhat Icon Sources Can I Use with Flared Folders?
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Flared Folders lets you supply folder icons from four routes: your own imported icon files, emoji, the Simple Icons set, and the Lucide icon set. You do not need to prepare artwork in advance — the built-in sets cover most needs, and importing your own files is there for anything specific. The tool is a free, open-source folder customization utility for Windows 10 and Windows 11, and its site lists these icon sources as core features.
The four icon sources at a glance
| Source | What it is | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Your own icon files | Icons you import into the tool | A brand mark, app icon, or personal image that no public set includes |
| Emoji | Standard emoji characters used as folder icons | Fast, colorful labeling — projects, categories, moods |
| Simple Icons | A curated library of brand and product logos | Folders named after tools, services, or companies |
| Lucide | An open icon set of clean line-style symbols | Consistent, minimal folders for documents, media, and system areas |
The site describes the in-tool selection as "a curated selection of sources," so you pick from these sets inside the editor rather than hunting for files elsewhere.
How each source works in practice
Importing your own icons
This is the fallback for anything the built-in sets miss. You bring an icon file and assign it to a folder. Expect to prepare the image yourself — the site does not publish format or size requirements, so check what the editor accepts before investing time in a detailed design. A practical approach: start with one folder, confirm the icon renders correctly at normal Explorer sizes, then apply the same preparation to the rest.
Using emoji
Emoji are the lowest-effort option. Choose an emoji that maps to the folder's purpose — a camera for photos, a musical note for audio — and the folder becomes identifiable at a glance without any file preparation. The trade-off is visual consistency: emoji styles vary by font and rendering, so a set of emoji folders will look less uniform than a single icon library.
Choosing from Simple Icons
Simple Icons is a collection of brand logos. It fits folders organized around software, platforms, or services — for example, a folder of assets for a specific product. Because these are brand marks, they read as recognizable rather than generic.
Choosing from Lucide
Lucide provides line-style interface icons. These suit folders that need to look tidy and consistent — document archives, media libraries, or system-adjacent folders. If you want a uniform look across many folders, picking everything from one set (Lucide or Simple Icons) will be more coherent than mixing sources.
A quick decision guide
- Need speed and don't care about polish? Use emoji.
- Want a consistent, professional look across many folders? Pick one icon set — Lucide for general symbols, Simple Icons for brands.
- Have a specific image that no set covers? Import your own file, and verify it renders correctly before applying it widely.
- Mixing sources? It works, but expect differences in weight and style between emoji, line icons, and brand logos.
What the tool does not tell you
The site does not document supported import formats, recommended icon dimensions, or how icons scale at different Explorer view sizes. Treat your first import as a test: apply one icon, switch between large and small folder views, and adjust before doing the rest. The project is released under GPLv3, with folder visuals derived from Microsoft's original assets and icons courtesy of Simple Icons and Lucide — useful context if you plan to redistribute anything you create.