Microsoft

The Evolution of Windows Icons

By · August 31, 2009, 11:56 PM PST

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  • The Evolution of Windows Icons

    As the Windows operating system has evolved, so too have many of its icons. As Windows 7 comes on to the scene with new user interface features, I recently began looking back at the changes in the icons that we all click on every day. While I discovered that many icons have changed with each new version of Windows, I also discovered that many stayed the same over several different versions.

    In this gallery, I’ll take a look at some of the Windows icons that have evolved over the years.

    Keep in mind that rather than show every icon for each version, I’ll only show an icon when it changes. For example, the Calculator icon changed slightly from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95, but then remained the same until Windows XP. As such, I won’t include the Calculator icons for Windows 98 thru Windows ME. Likewise, if the Windows 7 icon is the same as the Windows Vista icon, I’ll only show the Vista icon.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Calculator

    The Calculator has been a staple in the Windows operating system going back to version 1 and its icon basically retained the shape until Windows XP.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Calendar

    The Calendar icon was a part of the operating system early on and then disappeared until Vista.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Cardfile / Address Book / Contacts

    The icons changed as Cardfile evolved into the Address Book and then to Contacts in Windows Vista.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Character Map

    While the shape of the Character Map icon has a consistency at the beginning and the end, there was a abrupt change in Windows 2000.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • MSDOS\Command Prompt

    Once Windows 2000 came on to the scene, the icon and the name changed from MSDOS to Command Prompt.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Control Panel

    The Control Panel icon has changed quite a bit over the years.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Desktop

    Only recently has the Desktop icon made a big change from the metaphorical representation to the more literal.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • File Management

    From the MSDOS Executive to File manager to My Computer, to Computer, the file management icon has changed quite regularly.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Fonts

    While the Fonts icon has changed over the years, only once did it include more than just the letter “a.”

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Games

    Solitaire was first introduced in Windows 3.0 and its icon stayed that same until Windows XP, where it underwent a slight update before the big change in Vista. Minesweeper’s icons evolved from a flat representation to a more 3D look.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Help

    While the question mark has been central to the Help icon, the evolution has moved from just the symbol, to a book, and now to a button.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • 12 International / Regional

    The evolution of the globe icon shows a very interesting progression.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Keyboard

    The keyboard icon changed radically in Windows XP.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • 14 Media Player

    The Media Player icons went from a film based motif to a Play button theme.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Mouse

    Even though the scroll button was added to the mouse in the Windows 9x timeframe, it didn’t show up in the icon until Windows XP.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Notepad

    Another staple of the operating system since version 1.0, the Notepad icon has evolved since version 3.0, but not radically.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Paint

    The icon for Paint appears to have come full circle.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Power

    The battery and plug have been central to the Power icon as it has changed over the versions.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Printers

    The folder was a part of the Printers icon for a long time.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Recycle Bin

    Going from rectangular, to oval, to round, the Recycle Bin icon has always been interesting.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Sound

    While the theme for the Sound icon started out as musical notes, the speaker has been a constant for the majority of the time.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Sound Recorder

    Using a microphone for the Sound Recorder icon seems to be a better representation.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Terminal / HyperTerminal

    The theme for this icon remained fairly consistent over the years. After Windows XP, HyperTerminal was given the boot and is no longer a part of the operating system.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

  • Write / WordPad

    The icon for the operating system’s mini word processor has an interesting evolution that included a writing instrument up until most recently.

    Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic

The Evolution of Windows Icons

As the Windows operating system has evolved, so too have many of its icons. As Windows 7 comes on to the scene with new user interface features, I recently began looking back at the changes in the icons that we all click on every day. While I discovered that many icons have changed with each new version of Windows, I also discovered that many stayed the same over several different versions.

In this gallery, I’ll take a look at some of the Windows icons that have evolved over the years.

Keep in mind that rather than show every icon for each version, I’ll only show an icon when it changes. For example, the Calculator icon changed slightly from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95, but then remained the same until Windows XP. As such, I won’t include the Calculator icons for Windows 98 thru Windows ME. Likewise, if the Windows 7 icon is the same as the Windows Vista icon, I’ll only show the Vista icon.

Images by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic
Related Topics:
Microsoft Enterprise Software Software Collaboration Mobility Cloud Hardware

By Greg Shultz

Greg Shultz is a freelance Technical Writer. Previously, he has worked as Documentation Specialist in the software industry, a Technical Support Specialist in educational industry, and a Technical Journalist in the computer publishing industry.

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