🎨 AS Icon Viewer

A high-performance utility to browse, preview, and export icons from DLL, EXE, and ICO files, built with AutoHotkey v2

AS Icon Viewer helps developers and power users browse, extract, and manage icons embedded in Windows executables (.exe), libraries (.dll), and icon files (.ico). Shortcuts (.lnk) are resolved to their targets, making it easy to build icon sets, find indices, copy to clipboard, and export high-quality assets.

✨ Key Features

🔍 Smart Icon Management

• Intelligent Resource Scanner: Instantly scan system libraries (shell32.dll, imageres.dll, etc.) or custom files
• Drag & Drop Support: Simply drop any .dll, .exe, .ico, or .lnk file onto the interface
• Shortcut Resolution: .lnk files are resolved to their target icon sources
• Dynamic Icon Counting: Automatically detects and loads all available icons using Windows API
• Persistent File History: Your recently accessed files are automatically saved and restored
• Multi-Select File List: Remove multiple files at once for faster cleanup

🖼️ Flexible Viewing Options

• Multiple View Modes: Toggle between:
  • Large Icon View
  • Small Icon View
  • Large Report View
  • Small Report View
• Adjustable Preview Size: 16–256px icon preview with index display
• Responsive Layout: Fully resizable interface that adapts to your screen
• Interpolation Control: Toggle high-quality scaling vs nearest-neighbor for crisp or smooth previews

⭐ Favorites System

• Bookmark Icons: Save frequently used icons to your favorites list
• Persistent Storage: Favorites are automatically saved across sessions
• Quick Access: Instantly preview and use your bookmarked icons
• Bulk Management: Add, remove, or clear favorites with ease
• Go to Source: Jump from a favorite to its original file and icon index
• File Tools: Open File Location and view file Properties from favorites

📥 Advanced Export Capabilities

• Multiple Formats: Save icons as:
  • .ico (Windows Icon)
  • .png (Transparent PNG)
  • .bmp (Bitmap)
  • .jpg (JPEG)
• Export Size Control: Save at your chosen size (16–256px)
• Clipboard Integration: Copy icon images as PNG with transparency
• Smart File Naming: Automatically suggests descriptive filenames based on source and index

🛠️ Developer Tools

• Code Generation: One-click copy of ready-to-use AutoHotkey code

  TraySetIcon("C:\WINDOWS\System32\shell32.dll", 23)

• Live Icon Testing: Apply selected icons to the application's window and tray for instant preview
• Index Display: Clear labeling of icon numbers for easy reference in code
• Fast Copy: Double-click an icon to copy its code immediately

🚀 Performance & Reliability

• High-Speed Extraction: Utilizes Windows API (PrivateExtractIconsW) for optimal performance
• Memory Efficient: Smart ImageList management prevents memory leaks
• Progress Indicators: Real-time loading feedback for large icon libraries
• GDI+ Integration: High-quality icon rendering and format conversion

📜 Version History

v1.4 : 11/03/2026

• Interpolation Toggle: Switch between high-quality scaling and nearest-neighbor for preview, copy, and export.
• Favorites Navigation: "Go to Source" jumps from a favorite to the original file and icon index.
• File Utilities: Quick "Open File Location" and "Properties" actions in menus and favorites context.
• Live Preview Resizing: 16–256px preview size updates the layout on the fly.
• Refresh Actions: Reload icons from the Icon View menu or the icon context menu.

v1.3 : 10/02/2026

• Direct View Switching: Replaced the "Switch View" cycle button with a direct DropDownList for instant access to any view mode.
• Advanced 3-Panel StatusBar: New native status bar showing operation status, icon counts, and active file paths in separate segments.
• File Location Explorer: Added "Open File Location" to the file list context menu to quickly find source files in Windows Explorer.
• Multi-Select Support: Enabled multiple file and favorite selection, allowing for bulk removal and more efficient list management.
• Recursive Layout Consistency: Realigned all control buttons (Add/Remove/Clear) to be positioned above their respective lists, creating a unified and professional visual flow.
• Internal Optimization: Unified file processing logic for both manual selection and Drag & Drop, with improved .lnk shortcut resolution.
• Redesigned Symbols: Modernized notification system using a centralized Symbol object for consistent visual feedback (info, success, warnings).
• Refined Menu System: Reorganized Menu Bar with intuitive access keys (Alt hotkeys) and clearer menu structures.

v1.2 : 09/02/2026

• Export Size Selector: Choose 16–256px sizes for preview and saved icons
• Better Transparency: Clipboard copy now uses PNG with alpha
• Improved Exports: Higher-quality alpha handling and cleaner ICO output
• Smarter Save Dialog: File extension follows the selected file type

v1.1 : 07/02/2026

v1.0 : 05/02/2026

• First Release

📋 System Requirements

• Operating System: Windows 7, 10, or 11
• Runtime: AutoHotkey v2.0+ (for .ahk script)
• Compiled Versions: No dependencies required for .exe files

📦 Installation

Option 1: Download Compiled Executable (Recommended)

1. Download the latest release from Releases
   • AS.Icon.Viewer_x64.exe for 64-bit Windows
   • AS.Icon.Viewer_x32.exe for 32-bit Windows
2. Run the executable - no installation required!

Option 2: Run from Source

1. Install AutoHotkey v2.0+
2. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/akcansoft/AS-Icon-Viewer.git

3. Ensure these files are in the same directory:
   • AS Icon Viewer.ahk
   • SaveFileDialog.ahk
   • Gdip.ahk
   • app_icon.ico
4. Run AS Icon Viewer.ahk

🎯 Quick Start Guide

Loading Icons

1. Default Libraries: On first launch, the left panel contains common Windows system icon libraries
2. Add Custom Files:
   • Click the ➕ Add button, or
   • Use File → Add File menu, or
   • Drag and drop files directly onto the window
3. Select a File: Click any file in the left panel to load its icons

Working with Icons

• Preview: Click any icon to see a high-resolution preview
• Size: Use the Size dropdown to change preview/export size
• Copy Code: Click 📋 Copy Code to get AutoHotkey code
• Export: Click 💾 Save to export in your preferred format
• Test: Click 🧪 Test icon to preview it as the app icon
• Add to Favorites: Click ➕ Add in the favorites section
• Interpolation: Use the Interpolation checkbox or Icon menu to switch scaling quality

View Modes

• Use the DropDownList next to the Icons label or the Icon View menu to select:
  1. Small Report View
  2. Large Report View
  3. Small Icon View
  4. Large Icon View

Context Menus

• Right-click on icons for quick access to:
  • Copy Image
  • Save Image
  • Copy Code
  • Test Icon
  • Add to Favorites
  • Refresh List
• Right-click on file list for:
  • Open File Location
  • Add/Remove File
  • Clear List
• Right-click on favorites for:
  • Copy Image / Save Image
  • Copy Code / Test Icon
  • Go to Source / Open File Location / Properties
  • Remove from Favorites

🎮 Interface Overview

Panel	Description
Left Panel	File list management - Add, remove, or clear icon source files
Middle Panel	Icon browser with multiple view modes and context menu
Right Panel	Preview pane with 128x128 display, export options, and favorites
Status Bar	Real-time feedback on operations and icon counts
Menu Bar	Full access to all features and settings

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Left Arrow	Navigate to previous icon (in Icon View)
Right Arrow	Navigate to next icon (in Icon View)
Double Click	Copy icon code to clipboard
Right Click	Open context menu

🔧 Default Icon Libraries

AS Icon Viewer includes these Windows system libraries by default:

• imageres.dll - Modern Windows icons
• shell32.dll - Classic shell icons
• user32.dll - User interface icons
• ddores.dll - Device-specific icons
• ieframe.dll - Internet Explorer icons
• mmcndmgr.dll - Management console icons
• moricons.dll - Additional icons
• netcenter.dll, netshell.dll, networkexplorer.dll - Network icons
• pifmgr.dll - Program information icons
• pnidui.dll - Network identification icons
• setupapi.dll - Setup and installation icons
• wmploc.dll - Windows Media Player icons
• wpdshext.dll - Portable device icons
• compstui.dll - Common UI icons
• accessibilitycpl.dll - Accessibility icons

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome and appreciated.

If you would like to contribute to this project, please follow these guidelines:

• Fork the repository and create your branch from main
• Make sure your code follows the existing style and structure
• Test your changes before submitting
• Clearly describe what your change does and why it is needed

🐛 Bug Reports & Feature Requests

• Use GitHub Issues to report bugs or suggest new features
• Please include clear steps to reproduce bugs, if applicable
• Feature requests should explain the use case and expected behavior

Pull Requests

• Keep pull requests focused and limited to a single purpose
• Make sure your changes do not break existing functionality
• Update documentation if your change affects usage or behavior

Development Guidelines

• Follow AutoHotkey v2 best practices
• Test on both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows
• Update documentation for new features
• Maintain code comments and formatting

Thank you for taking the time to contribute.

📜 License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with AutoHotkey v2
• Uses Windows GDI+ for high-quality image processing
• Icon extraction powered by Windows API

👨‍💻 Author

Mesut Akcan

• 🌐 Blog: mesutakcan.blogspot.com
• 💻 GitHub: @akcansoft
• 📺 YouTube: mesutakcan