Learn how to decrease or increase the icon cache size in Windows 11 and Windows 10 using the Registry Editor in simple steps.
By default, Windows displays icons for most file types. For example, you might see the Notepad icon for a text file. These icons make it easy to recognize the file type at a glance. Generally, to make things faster, these icons are cached in a special file called ‘IconCache.db’, which allows the system to load them faster without making unnecessary queries.
Generally, the default icon cache size (512 KB) is good enough for the vast majority of systems. However, if you’ve installed custom icons or have a ton of installed applications, the default cache size might not be sufficient. This, in turn, forces Windows to frequently regenerate icons, which can slow down your system when browsing files.
You can fix this by changing the icon cache size in Windows. For example, you can increase the cache size from 512 KB to 4096 KB (4 MB). In this quick and easy guide, I will show you how to do it in simple steps. Let’s get started.
Before You Start
- The following procedure requires modifying the Windows Registry. Before proceeding, please back up the registry.
- Administrative rights are required to modify the registry.
Steps to Change Icon Size in Windows 11 & 10
- Press “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialog.
- Type “regedit” and click “OK“.
- Go to the following folder:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer - Right-click the “Explorer” folder.
- Select “New” > “String“.
- Name it “Max Cached Icons“.
- Double-click the newly created value.
- Type “4096” in the “Value Data” field to increase the cache size.
- Type “256” in the “Value Data” field to decrease the cache size.
- Click “OK”.
- Close the Registry Editor.
- You changed the icon cache size in Windows 10 and 11.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
Since we need to edit the registry, the first step is to open it. To do that, open the Run dialog by pressing the “Windows key + R” shortcut, type “regedit“, and click “OK“. You can also search for “Registry Editor” in the Start menu and click “Open”.
Go to the following folder in the Registry Editor. You can paste the path below into the Registry Editor’s address bar and press Enter to make things easier.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
Now, right-click the “Explorer” folder on the left panel and select “New” and then “String“. This creates a new empty string value.
Type “Max Cached Icons” as the new value’s name and press Enter to save it.
After creating the value and giving it a name, double-click it. In the “Value Data” field, type “4096” and click the “OK” button. This increases the cache size.
In case you are wondering, 4096 is 4 MB written in KBs. If you want to, you can increase it further. For example, to set the cache size to 8MB, you should type 8192 (8 * 1024). Keep in mind that exceeding 8MB doesn’t yield any better results. Above 8MB, it’s just diminishing returns.
To reduce the icon cache size, type “256” in the “Value Data” field and click “OK“.
Finally, close the Registry Editor and restart your system to apply the changes. With that, you’ve successfully changed the icon cache size in Windows.
Good to read: How to clear the icon cache in Windows
Wrapping Up – Changing Icon Cache Size
As you can see, when you want, modifying the cache size of the IconCache.db file is pretty easy. All you have to do is modify a single registry setting, and you are done. If the icons are loading slowly, increasing the icon size is helpful. Keep in mind that going above 8 MB gives you diminishing returns. On the other hand, if your system is old or the default icon cache size is causing problems, you can reduce it.
If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
