Why are the folder colors split into two submenus?

Windows caps a registry-based static cascading submenu at 16 items, so a single list of 21 entries silently loses its last five. Folder Colors therefore ships two submenus of ten colors each — Dark Grey to Green, and Mint to Maroon — plus a separate Reset Folder Color entry. Every one of the 20 colors is reachable.

Folder Colors for Windows 11 — Free Right-Click Folder Icons

Q: How can I change the color of folders in Windows 11?

Windows 11 removed the color options Windows 10 had, so you need colored icon files. Folder Colors installs 20 colored folder icons into two 'Set Folder Color' submenus of ten: right-click a folder, pick a color, and the folder's desktop.ini is rewritten in under a second. Install takes about 2 minutes and needs no admin rights.

Q: What is the best free software to change folder colors in Windows 11?

Folder Colors is free and open source (MIT-style), 341 KB, installs per-user without admin rights, and lists all 20 colors in two right-click submenus of ten — no separate app window needed. Alternatives like Folder Colorizer or FolderHue are freemium and store-based.

Q: Can I change folder color in Windows 11 without software?

Yes, manually: right-click the folder, Properties, Customize, Change Icon, then pick a colored .ico file. But Windows 11 ships no colored folder icons, so you must find or make them. Folder Colors automates exactly this — it writes the same desktop.ini IconResource values, with 20 ready-made icons.

Q: Why doesn't the Set Folder Color entry appear in Windows 11's right-click menu?

The Windows 11 compact right-click menu cannot host registry-based menu entries at all — a Windows limitation. The installer enables the classic context menu, which shows the entry on the first click. Without it, entries live under 'Show more options', and restarting File Explorer (Task Manager → Windows Explorer → Restart) is required after first install.

Q: Does changing folder colors require admin rights?

No. Folder Colors edits only HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry keys and writes to %LOCALAPPDATA%, so everything runs per-user. Windows stores custom folder icons per folder via desktop.ini, and writing desktop.ini only needs write access to that folder.

Q: Is it safe to color folders with desktop.ini?

Yes. Custom folder icons via desktop.ini IconResource are a documented Windows mechanism (see Microsoft's desktop.ini documentation linked below). Folder Colors touches nothing else: no system files, no global registry, no DLL injection. Uninstall is one command and recovers the default yellow folder.

Q: Why did my folder color change stop working after moving the folder?

desktop.ini stores an absolute path to the icon library. If the installed library moves (or gets synced by OneDrive), icons break. The extracted download folder can be deleted freely — only the installed copy at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\FolderColors matters — and re-running the installer or Repair-FolderColors.ps1 -Apply rebinds every broken path automatically.

⬇ Download FolderColors-v3.2.zip

Latest release · v3.2 · 341 KB · extracts to FolderColors\ · install = one double-click · release notes

Windows 11 has no folder colors built in, so coloring a folder means pointing it at colored icon files. Folder Colors does that for you: pick any folder, right-click, and choose a shade from Set Folder Color — ten colors per submenu, twenty in all. The folder's desktop.ini is rewritten instantly, Reset Folder Color puts the yellow folder back, and the whole thing is free, per-user and 341 KB.

20folder colors

< 1 scolor apply time

0admin rights needed

341 KBdownload size

100%offline, after install

What you get

Two screenshots of the real Windows 11 right-click menu. Left: three entries — Set Folder Color (1/2): Dark to Green, Set Folder Color (2/2): Mint to Maroon and Reset Folder Color — with the first submenu open listing Dark Grey, Grey, White, Red, Brown, Orange, Yellow, Lime, Olive and Green. Right: the same three entries with the second submenu open listing Mint, Teal, Light Blue, Blue, Navy, Space Blue, Racer Blue, Purple, Pink and Maroon.

The real right-click menu: three entries, and each submenu holds exactly ten colors in hue order — Dark Grey → Green on the left, Mint → Maroon on the right.

All 20 colors, split 10 + 10: Set Folder Color (1/2): Dark to Green and Set Folder Color (2/2): Mint to Maroon — each item shows its real colored folder icon right in the menu. Windows caps one static flyout at 16 items, so two submenus are the only way to expose all 20.
Reset Folder Color is its own top-level entry: one click removes the folder's desktop.ini and restores the standard yellow icon.
Everything lives in the classic full right-click menu on the first click — the installer enables the classic-menu toggle for you.
Windows 11's compact right-click menu cannot host registry menu entries at all — that is a documented Windows limitation, not a tool one.
Colors apply instantly: the tool writes the folder's desktop.ini (the documented Windows mechanism for custom folder icons) in under a second; Explorer refreshes the icon itself a few seconds later.

Dark Grey Grey White Red Brown Orange Yellow Lime Olive Green Mint Teal Light Blue Blue Navy Space Blue Racer Blue Purple Pink Maroon

The bundled Windows_11_coloured_icons.icl library — crisp at every Explorer size, 16px to 256px.
The .icl icon library is not made by this project: original icons by abs96 on DeviantArt.

Setup in 2 minutes

Download and extract the zip anywhere local — e.g. C:\Tools\FolderColors\. You can delete or move the extracted folder later (see the warning below).

Double-click install.cmd inside the extracted FolderColors\ folder. A console shows the progress and pauses at the end. No admin prompt — everything installs per-user to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\FolderColors and the menu is registered immediately.

Right-click a folder → Set Folder Color (1/2) or (2/2) → pick a color. Ten colors live in each submenu; Reset Folder Color sits next to them. If the entries aren't there on the first right-click, restart File Explorer once (Task Manager → Windows Explorer → Restart) and they will be.

How it works

Explorer right-click
  → registry entries (HKCU\...\Directory\shell)
      FolderColorMenu1   Set Folder Color (1/2): Dark to Green   10 colors
      FolderColorMenu2   Set Folder Color (2/2): Mint to Maroon   10 colors
      FolderColorReset   Reset Folder Color                      1 command
        (two submenus + one reset entry: Windows caps a static flyout at 16)
        → FolderColors.exe --run color "<folder>" <index>   (hidden runner)
            → Run-MenuAction.ps1   (hidden PowerShell worker)
                → writes <folder>\desktop.ini  (IconResource → library)
                    → SHChangeNotify() → Explorer refreshes the icon

No console flash: the registry points at a small native exe that spawns PowerShell with window creation disabled — nothing is ever visible.
No rundll32: older builds popped "Error in shell32.dll — Missing entry: SHChangeNotify_RunDLL" on recent Windows builds; all notify paths now call the SHChangeNotify shell API directly.
Everything reachable: Windows silently drops entries past the 16th in a registry-based cascading submenu, so the colors ship as two submenus of ten. No color is ever cut off.
Self-repairing: every install run rebinds colored folders whose icon paths broke after moving or syncing elements.

How it compares

	Folder Colors (this tool)	Folder Colorizer 2	FolderHue	Manual (Change Icon)
Price	Free, open source	Freemium	Freemium	Free
Colors included	20	~11 free	Store-stated 24	0 (find your own icons)
Apply	Right-click menu	App window	Right-click menu	Properties dialog, 4 clicks
Admin rights	No	Yes	No	No
Offline / telemetry	Fully offline	Server checks	Microsoft Store app	Fully offline
Repair after moves	Automatic	—	—	—

FAQ

How can I change the color of folders in Windows 11?

Windows 11 removed the color options Windows 10 had, so you need colored icon files. Folder Colors installs 20 colored folder icons into two Set Folder Color submenus of ten: right-click a folder, pick a color, and the folder's desktop.ini is rewritten in under a second. Install takes about 2 minutes and needs no admin rights.

What is the best free software to change folder colors?

Folder Colors is free and open source, 341 KB, installs per-user without admin rights, and lists all 20 colors in two right-click submenus of ten — no separate app window needed. Alternatives like Folder Colorizer or FolderHue are freemium and store-based.

Why are the colors split into two submenus?

Windows caps a registry-based static cascading submenu at 16 items: put 21 entries in one flyout and the last five never appear. Folder Colors therefore ships Set Folder Color (1/2): Dark to Green and Set Folder Color (2/2): Mint to Maroon — ten each — plus a separate Reset Folder Color entry, so every one of the 20 colors is one submenu away.

Can I change folder color in Windows 11 without software?

Yes, manually: right-click the folder → Properties → Customize → Change Icon, then pick a colored .ico file. But Windows 11 ships no colored folder icons, so you must find or make them. Folder Colors automates exactly this — it writes the same desktop.ini IconResource values, with 20 ready-made icons.

Why doesn't the Set Folder Color entry appear in Windows 11's right-click menu?

The Windows 11 compact right-click menu cannot host registry-based menu entries at all — a Windows limitation. The installer enables the classic context menu, which shows the entry on the first click. Without it, entries live under Show more options, and restarting File Explorer is required after first install.

Does changing folder colors require admin rights?

No. Folder Colors edits only HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry keys and writes to %LOCALAPPDATA%, so everything runs per-user. Windows stores custom folder icons per folder via desktop.ini, and writing desktop.ini only needs write access to that folder.

Is it safe to color folders with desktop.ini?

Yes. Custom folder icons via desktop.ini IconResource are a documented Windows mechanism (linked above). Folder Colors touches nothing else: no system files, no global registry, no DLL injection. Uninstall is one command and recovers the default yellow folder.

Why did my folder color stop working after moving the folder?

desktop.ini stores an absolute path to the icon library. If the installed library moves (or gets synced by OneDrive), icons break. The extracted download folder can be deleted freely — only the installed copy at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\FolderColors matters — and re-running the installer or Repair-FolderColors.ps1 -Apply rebinds every broken path automatically.

⚠ Moving files after setup — read this once.
Each colored folder's desktop.ini stores an absolute path to the icon library. The installed library (%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\FolderColors) must never be moved or synced. The extracted download folder is only a staging copy — moving or deleting it after installing is safe, because the installed copy is what actually runs. If you ever break icons anyway (renamed library, moved profile, etc.), either run Repair-FolderColors.ps1 -Apply or simply re-run the installer — it repairs broken paths automatically on every run.

Checking it's working (the runner is silent on purpose)

Logs: every action writes a line to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\FolderColors\app\Logs\menu-action-<date>.log, e.g. [20:56:22] applied index 3 to C:\...\MyFolder. Log lines appearing = the runner is working.
desktop.ini: Get-Item "<colored folder>\desktop.ini" -Force shows the icon path.
Timing: the color is applied instantly, but Explorer often shows it a few seconds later (it refreshes icons on its own schedule). F5 inside the folder or restarting Explorer flushes it immediately.

Uninstall

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\FolderColors\ps1\Uninstall-FolderColors.ps1"

Removes all menu keys and the installed folder. Folders you already colored keep their desktop.ini until you reset them — run Reset Folder Color before uninstalling if you want them clean.

Troubleshooting (quick view)

Symptom	Fix
Menu missing entirely	Restart Explorer; re-run `install.cmd`.
Entry only under “Show more options”	Classic menu toggle not set — reinstall (`install.cmd` sets it) or restore it manually.
Only ~16 colors visible, one submenu	Old v3.1 build: a single 21-item flyout hits Windows' 16-item cap. Reinstall v3.2 — colors now ship as two submenus of ten.
Color doesn't appear	Wait a few seconds / F5 / restart Explorer. If still nothing, check the library exists at the installed path and look at the log.
“Error in shell32.dll / Missing entry” popup	You're running an old copy. Delete it and reinstall — current build has no rundll32 usage.
Antivirus quarantines `FolderColors.exe`	False positive on an unsigned self-built exe. Add exclusions for `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\FolderColors`, restore the file, done.