If you’ve just upgraded to macOS Tahoe and want to make your desktop more colorful or simply stay organized, you can now easily change folder colors. Here’s how to do it using three different methods—tagging folders and setting a new default color.
📌 Step 1 — Enable Tags in Finder Settings (Required for Color Change)
Before you can apply individual colors, you must enable and create colored tags in Finder:
- Open Finder.
- In the top menu bar, go to Finder › Settings.
- Switch to the Tags tab.
- Click the “+” button to create a new tag and assign it a color.
- Make sure the “Tint folders based on Tags” toggle is enabled at the bottom.
💡 Tip: Without tags, the color option won’t show up when you right-click folders.
🎨 Step 2 — Change Color of Individual Folders
Once you’ve set up tags, you can recolor any folder:
- Right-click (or Control + Click) on the folder.
- In the menu, look for the “Customize Folder” section.
- Select the colored tag you want to apply.
This will add the tag to the folder and instantly change its color from the default blue to your selected color.
⚙️ Step 3 — Change the Default Color of All Folders
To recolor all untagged folders on your Mac:
- Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner.
- Select System Settings.
- Go to Appearance from the left sidebar.
- On the right, find the Folder Color section.
- Click the dropdown and select a new default color.
- You can choose from preset colors, pick a custom color, or even match your theme color.
📌 Note: This changes only untagged folders. Tagged folders will keep their custom tag color. If you remove a tag, the folder will automatically switch to the new default color.
📝 Final Notes
- Any new folders you create will use the new default color automatically.
- To reset a folder’s color, simply remove its tag from the right-click menu.
- This is the easiest way to personalize and organize your Finder visually in macOS Tahoe.
For Older macOS
🖌️ Method 2: Use Preview to Tint Folder Icons
This is the built-in manual way:
- Right-click the folder you want to recolor and choose Get Info.
- In the Info window, click the small folder icon at the top-left to highlight it (you’ll see a faint blue outline).
- Press Command + C to copy the icon.
- Open the Preview app and press Command + N to create a new file from the clipboard (it will show your folder icon).
- In Preview, click Markup Toolbar (pencil icon) > Adjust Color.
- Slide the Tint, Saturation, or Hue controls to change the color.
- When you’re happy, press Command +A (select all) then Command +C (copy).
- Go back to the folder’s Get Info window, click the top icon again, and press Command + V to paste your colored version.
💡 Tip: This changes only that one folder’s icon.
🎨 Method 3: Use a Folder Coloring App (Easier)
If you want to color many folders quickly, try a third-party app from the Mac App Store:
- Folder Colorizer – drag and drop folders, pick any color or emoji overlay.
- Folder Designer – lets you create custom colored and styled folder icons.
These apps automate the same process without using Preview manually.
⚡ Bonus: Use Custom Icons
If you prefer themed icons instead of just colors:
- Download a
.icnsor.pngicon set (plenty free online). - Open the new icon in Preview → Command +A, Command +C.
- Right-click your folder → Get Info, click the top icon, and Command + V to paste it.
📝 Final Notes
- This only affects how folders appear on your Mac — not on shared drives or other users’ Macs.
- You can always remove the custom icon by selecting the folder icon in Get Info and pressing the Delete key.
