🎨 macOS Tahoe 26 App Icon Fix

Refresh and re-apply existing macOS App icons using fileicon.
Developed by Kevin Tobler – 🌐 www.kevintobler.ch

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🧩 Overview

This script automatically refreshes all app icons located in /Applications on macOS Tahoe 26.
It checks each .app bundle and re-links its icon using the command-line utility fileicon.

Useful when:

• Finder icons appear blank or don’t update properly
• You’ve manually replaced app icons and they’re not displaying
• After system upgrades or cache resets

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🎥 Video Guide

Here’s a quick video tutorial for the script:
👉 https://youtu.be/ehVe1Obpbyg

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⚙️ Requirements

• macOS Tahoe 26
• Terminal access
• Homebrew installed
• fileicon utility installed

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🧭 Installation

1. Install Homebrew (if not already installed):

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

2. Install fileicon via Homebrew:

   brew install fileicon

3. Download or copy this script
   Save it as: macOS_Tahoe_AppIconFix.sh

4. Make it executable (optional):

   chmod +x macOS_Tahoe_AppIconFix.sh

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▶️ Usage

Run the script with sudo (required for modifying app icons):

sudo zsh macOS_Tahoe_AppIconFix.sh

Then enter your password when prompted.

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🪄 What It Does

• Checks for fileicon binary (Apple Silicon /opt/homebrew or Intel /usr/local)
• Scans /Applications for all .app bundles
• For each app:
  • If a custom icon exists, it is refreshed (extracted and re-set)
  • If no icon is linked, it re-applies the default app icon
• Finally, restarts Finder to show updated icons

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💡 Example Output

🎨 Refreshing already linked App icons ...
🔧 Safari.app
♻️ refreshed existing icon
🔧 Mail.app
✨ re-applied default icon
🔧 GarageBand.app
⚠️ no icon found
🔄 Reloading Finder...
✅ Done!

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🧹 Troubleshooting

fileicon not found:
Run:

brew install fileicon

Finder icons still not updated:
Try manually relaunching Finder:

killall Finder

Some apps skipped:
System-protected apps may not allow icon changes (e.g., Safari, Mail).

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🧑‍💻 Author

Kevin Tobler
🌐 www.kevintobler.ch
📦 macOS Tahoe 26 App Icon Fix

“Because a refreshed Mac deserves refreshed icons.” ✨

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🪪 License

MIT License – You’re free to use, modify, and share this script.
Attribution appreciated 🙌