Lost Finder Icons

I've lost the Pictures, Document, Music and Movies icons off my Finder. I think they were simply dragged off and 'poof'... they were gone. Is there anyway to restore these or select those icons for a different folder?

The Finder automatically assigns the cool icons when you drag one of the appropriate folders out of your home folder into the Sidebar. It may be necessary to restart the Finder to force it to recognize things and update, but it should recognize them all on its own. The only thing that could happen is if you changed the original name in any way whatsoever. But if the Movies folder in your home folder is showing a custom folder icon there, then it should show the custom toolbar badge when you drag it into the Sidebar. If it doesn't show the custom badge icon, and you have restarted, you could try removing these:
"/Users/yourname/Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists.plist"
"/Users/yourname/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist"
Then restart. This will return everything to the default.
Francine
Francine
Schwieder

Similar Messages

How to restore lost Finder preferences in 10.6.5?

Running 10.6.5 on a MacBook Pro 2.4Ghz i5.
In each Finder window, I had, over months and years, set up a specific setting according to my needs:
Some windows had different background color;
Some windows were set to list view, some to icon view;
Some had icons of a certain size, some had icons of a smaller or larger size;
Various windows were sized and arranged on the screen to meet various requirements;
and most importantly, in each window the icons in icon view were often arranged in a specific organizational pattern.
In fact, this is how I organized my work flow -- moving icons from one area of a Finder window to another to represent their various stages of completion in projects.
I've been using Finder this way for years, never a problem.
But after a recent Shut Down and Restart, for no apparent reason, ALL of my existing Finder preferences were wiped away for every window.
Now, all windows have been reset to have the same background color, all windows the same size and the same location on the screen, all be in icon view, have the icons all be the same (maximum) size, and worst of all all rearranged alphabetically in a grid. All my customization was wiped clean, and all windows reset to what I presume was the default appearance.
No data or files were lost, as far as I can tell. The computer seems to be functioning perfectly as it always does in every other way. The only thing that went wrong was that the Finder preferences were zeroed out and reset.
For most people, this really wouldn't be much of a problem, as they don't really use the Finder icons and windows to organize concepts and workflow as I do; but for me this is a disaster, because now I've lost track of all sorts of "information" encoded in how each window appeared and how icons were arranged.
I could laboriously by hand try to restore each window to how I thought it was, but there are literally hundreds or thousands of windows, each containing in some cases hundreds of icons representing hundreds of work files in various stages of completion, and the whole process would take me weeks to get it back to the way it was, and even then it would certainly be inaccurate, as I'd be relying on my memory.
So my question is: Is there any way to get back and restore my Finder preferences to the way they were before this mysterious "Finder Amnesia Event," or whatever it was? Or do i just resign myself to accepting this setback and go about restoring each window's set-up by hand?

No, probally not.
But there are security issues with 10.6.5 and you really need to Apple menu> Software Update to 10.6.8 right away.
Perhaps that's is what caused it?
Run a ClamXav scan.
Run through this list if you have problems
..Step by Step to fix your Mac

I have lost the icons for Word, Excel, etc. from the bottom of my screen - how do I get them back?

I have lost the icons for Word, Excel, iTunes, etc. from the bottom of my desktop - how do I get them back?

Easy-these are just aliases. Do a cloverleaf+F/command+F (Find) and they should appear. Either create an alias and drag it to the dock-or there's an "add to Dock" command in the Finder. so click on whichever app you'd like to add to the Dock, then add to Dock and it should appear there. If something isn't in the Dock that doesn't mean it's gone for good. It's just an alias
well, hope that helped
John B

I lost the icons for downloads and documents on doc bar

I lost the icons for the downloads and documents on doc bar. I read the other support answers and tried what they said still no luck. any answers?

If you mean they're on the dock but have the wrong icon, right click and select "display as folder".
If you mean that they aren't there at all, open a Finder window to your Home folder. Drag the documents folder to the right side of the dock. Do the same with the downloads folder.
Regards,
Captfred

I hv lost my icon for iphoto on my Imac Mac OSX10.5.8.   I still hv my pics but can no longer creat albums and events. If I upgrade to the latest Mountain Lion, will my pics go into the new iphoto?       I would like to update Mountain lion.Will

I hv lost my icon for iphoto on my Imac Mac OSX10.5.8.   I still hv my pics but can no longer creat albums and events. If I upgrade to the latest Mountain Lion, will my pics go into the new iphoto?

From where did you lose the iPhoto icon? From the Dock? If so, then it's still in your Applications folder. Find it there then drag the icon back into the Dock. If it's no longer in Applications perhaps you've moved or renamed it. Use Spotlight to search for "iphoto."
Upgrading to Mountain Lion will not affect your iPhoto Library unless you erase the hard drive first. Be sure you backup before any system upgrade.
Upgrade Paths to Snow Leopard, Lion, and/or Mountain Lion
You can upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Mountain Lion can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $19.99. To access the App Store you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later installed.
Upgrading to Snow Leopard
You must purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mountain Lion if your computer meets the requirements.
     Snow Leopard General Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
       2. 1GB of memory
       3. 5GB of available disk space
       4. DVD drive for installation
       5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider;
           fees may apply.
       6. Some features require Apple’s MobileMe service; fees and
           terms apply.
Upgrading to Lion
If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mountain Lion, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
You can purchase Lion by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
     Lion System Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
           or Xeon processor
       2. 2GB of memory
       3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
       4. 7GB of available space
       5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
Upgrading to Mountain Lion
To upgrade to Mountain Lion you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Purchase and download Mountain Lion from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Mountain Lion is $19.99 plus tax. The file is quite large, over 4 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
     OS X Mountain Lion - System Requirements
       Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion
         1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
         2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
         3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
         4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
         5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
         6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
         7. Xserve (Early 2009)
     Are my applications compatible?
         See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.
     Am I eligible for the free upgrade?
         See Apple - Free OS X Mountain Lion upgrade Program.
     For a complete How-To introduction from Apple see Upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion.

Lost ibooks icon on iphone5S-IOS8.1.3

I have lost ibooks icon on my iphone 5S-IOS8.1.3. I have tried to redownload from app store but it does not work. Please help me to retrieve the ibooks icon on my iphone screen. Thank you

iBooks is built-in to iOS 8, you can't download the old version from the store.
If you can't find it via the phone's spotlight search screen, then try a soft-reset (i.e. a reboot) and see if you can find it after the phone has restarted : press and hold both the sleep and home buttons for about 10 to 15 seconds (ignore the red slider), after which the Apple logo should appear and it should reboot.

Finder icon is outside the dock

I don't know what I did, but my finder icon is outside the dock. It's just sitting by the dashboard but outside the dock shaded area.
The thing is, I can't click on, move or do anything with the finder icon. It's just sitting there. What can I do? How do I move the icon back to the dock so I can use Finder again?
Please help! Thanks so much!
Nancy

Restarts apparently will come into vogue on Mac too more and more.
I lost my Network-Connection yesterday. "network cable has been removed" was the message.
A restart solved it.
Furthermore some drivers need a restart by installation.
It's like new Adobe Trial-Software needs to be uninstalled by uninstallers, if you want to reinstall the licensed version.
Otherwise it gives you loads of trouble.

HT1766 I can not access my itune/cloud music & apps! My pc crashed & I'm signed on as a temp. user; I can't sign-on ant other way! I lost my icon also

I can not access my itune/cloud music & apps! My pc crashed & I'm signed on as a temp. user; I can't sign-on ant other way! I lost my icon also.

Re: That garbage is unreadable.
If you really want help, stop messing with the fonts and post so that others can read and offer suggestions.
Or better yet... try a search, I'm certain you'll find a solution to whatever issue you're experiencing.
I have found that many times it is the things that make you most angry that push you to action. This was the case here. Thank you for causing me to get so angry that I found the answer myself.

Lost My Icons

I've had a Palm Pilot for 10 years. I currently have a Palm T/X. I just tried to download the latest OS 6.2 (I think that's the latest). Anyway, I've lost my icons in the calendar (I also have Datebk 6 installed). How do I get my icons back? The icons I'm referring to are when you set an appointment in Datebk 6 you can put a "Check Mark" when completed or an "X" or any number of icons.
Thank You
Post relates to: Palm TX

When you go into the calendar/datebook and tap on a scheduled appointment and then tap on "details" you come to a list of options. Such as "Time","Date", "Alarm", "Repeat" and at the bottom is "Icon". When you tap on "Icon" you go to a list of icons to choose from. I no longer have any icons when I tap on "Icon". Instead I get a message that says "In order to use icons, you must install them first. See Read-Me-First file or User Manual for installation instructions". I can't find anything about installing icons in the manual.
Also please note that I don't have a T/X installation CD, I guess I lost it, I only have a Tungsten E2 from a previous palm pilot and that is what I used after I uninstalled the Palm O/S (according to instructions on a previous thread) off my laptop to get rid of the 6.2 version. Now I have Garnet v.5.4.9
Any ideas on how to get my icons back?
Thanks
Post relates to: Palm TX

HT1338 i lost my icon for i photo

i lost my icon for the iphoto i think i deleted

If it is just the alias no problem. Open Finder, click on Applications and look for the iPhoto application and drag it back onto the Dock. This will replace a lost 'alias' on the Dock.
If it is the iPhoto application itself that you have deleted, then you do have quite a different problem. First look in the trash and if it is stil there drag it back to the Applications folder. If it is gone you will need to reinstall it from your original Install DVD, or iLife DVD.

When I login, all of my desktop items are gone, the "Finder" icon is bouncing and a message asking to restore windows is blinking but unresponsive. I can't exit out of it. What do I do? I've tried force quitting, and it doesn't get rid of it.

When I login, all of my desktop items are gone, the "Finder" icon is bouncing and a message asking to restore windows is blinking but unresponsive. I can't exit out of it. What do I do? I've tried force quitting, and it doesn't get rid of this message. When I login to my husband's account, this message does not appear.

Hey sunnyday7!
Here is an article that can help you address this issue:
OS X: How to quit an unresponsive application using Force Quit
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3411
Additional Information
OS X automatically relaunches the Finder when it is quit. If the Finder is unresponsive, use Force Quit to relaunch it. Select Finder in the Force Quit Window or Dock, then click Relaunch.
Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities. Have a good one!
-Braden

The Finder Icon "jumped" off my dock..how do i get it back?

Hi. I just got my new MacBook earlier today and I was moving some of the dock icons around and somehow the Finder icon "jumped" off the dock and is now no longer selectable. It just sits on the desktop and hovers above all other programs but behind the dock. I can't click on it or move it or even select it using the lassoo, so any ideas what I could try? Or anybody have a clue what happened/has this happened to anyone before?
here's a picture:
It's not like it's something I could've manually removed. I've tried moving the finder before and you can't do it. (this isn't my first OS X mac)
I'm just as baffled as you are.
MacBook 2.0 GHz 13.3" Mac OS X (10.4.7)
iMac G4 17" Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Try trashing this preference file and reboot.
HD > User > Library > Preferences > com.apple.dock.plist
-Bmer
Mac Owners Support Group
Join Us @ MacOSG.com
ITMS: MacOSG Podcast
 An Apple User Group 

How Can I Remove the Finder Icon From the Dock?

Hi! Can someone tell me how to remove the Finder icon from the dock? I don't even care if Finder quits. I just want it removed from the dock. I really don't care if I can't get to my files. Please help.

Start by going to your core services, (/system/library/coreservices). You can do this by pressing Shift+Cmd+G and then paste (/system/library/coreservices), without parentheses.
After doing this, find Dock.app, right click, show package contents. This doesn't contain the icons on your dock, just finder and trash.
After that, move all finder services to the desktop, and then erase them from the core services folder. At this point it will prompt you to put in your password, do so.
Next you'll want to open terminal and type 'killall dock' or, you could restart your computer.
This should remove the finder icon from your dock, while still giving you access to it from your desktop.
Hope this helps!
-C

Two finder icons in my dock and other issues

For some reason, in my dock, two finder icons are appearing. The default finder icon, which is not running and has no white indicator under it, and a default application style icon that launches right after login with the label "Finder" which is basically the finder but launches like a third party application?! When I quit the running finder icon, the finder restarts, so this second icon really is running as the finder!
Also: When i click on the trash it no longer opens, when I try to empty the trash from the dock nothing happens, and (this is the best part) when I click and hold on a stack, and select "Show in finder", Entourage launches and tries to compress that folder in an email message. Super bizarre! Like really bizarre.
Please any help would be great before I do something drastic like archive and install.
I have a screenshot of this but can't seem to post it here.

Welcome to Apple Discussions, burbaget.
Create a new account, name it "test" and see how your apps work in that User acct? (That will tell if your problem is systemwide or limited to your User acct.) This account is just for test, do nothing further with it.
Open System Preferences >> Accounts >> "+" make it an admin account.
If the problem is present in the test account also, then it is systemwide. In this case try repairing this with the 10.5.5 Combo Update This is a fuller install, as opposed to an incremental "delta" update so it should overwrite any files that are damaged or missing. It does not matter if you have applied it before.
Remember to Verify Disk before update and repair permissions after update from /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility.
If the problem does not appear in the test account try starting in "Safe Mode" (It will take a bit more time to startup because it runs a directory check first).
If that works go to System Preferences >> Accounts >> Login Items and remove them. Boot normally and test. If there are still problems, go to ~(yourHome)/Library/Contextual Menu Items and move whatever is there to the desktop. Then do the same with /Library/Contextual Menu Items. Lastly, try moving /Users/Home)/Library/Fonts to your desktop and restarting.
Log out/in or restart, if that sorts it start putting items back one at a time until you find the culprit.
Let us know.
-mj

How do I retrieve lost Bookmark icons most of which disappeared when I updated to Firefox 8?

After I updated to Firefox 8 I noticed that more than half of the itemsin my bookmarks list had lost their icons which were replaced by a dotted line in the shape of a square. I tried to go back to using Firefox 7 using System Restore. The restore was successful except that Firefox could not be opened. So I undid the restore and this allows Firefox to open and all seems ok apart from the fact that the majority of the items in my Bookmark list have disappeared and have been replaced as described. Can anybody help?

Hi everyone. At issue is that FF8, obviously due to a coding bug, no longer is retrieving the favicon from the root of a website's www directory website in some situations. I tried starting FF8 with all add-ons disabled, just to verify that an add-on wasn't causing the issue. The add-on Check Places will restore the missing favicons, but the favicon will disappear as soon as you visit the bookmarked URL if the favicon was missing after you upgraded to FF8.
Hehe. I am not too thrilled with Mozilla's new rapid development cycle. FF8 is simply a tweaked version of FF7 and as such it should have been a 7X upgrade. But I guess Mozilla wants Firefox to get up to version 10000 before Chrome does. Silly.

Lost Finder Icons

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for