I changed my PC’s Recycle Bin icon into a chomping selfie for instant fun

PCs have a reputation for being staid and sort of business-like, right? Nah, that’s just an image pushed by a Apple’s famous ad campaign.

The truth is, your PC is a blank slate for as much creativity as you can muster. It can be especially useful as a tool to show off fun personalizations.

Take this hilarious mod to the Recycle Bin as an example. In a few simple steps you can change it into an image of yourself that chomps down on files like you’d chow down on a hot dog. It’s a fun trick that will lighten up even the most serious Windows desktops.

How to change your Recycle Bin into a chomping selfie

• Ask someone to shoot two images of you — one with your mouth shut and one with your mouth open. The two images should be framed so that they’re the same size and you’re in the exact same position.
• To make sure the files look like icons in windows, you need to cut out the images of you from their background in a photo-editing app. I used the magic select tool in Windows 11 Paint 3D since I still had the app loaded on my laptop, but since Paint 3D is being discontinued, you might want to use a free alternative app like GIMP, Photopea or Paint.NET. Save both files as .png files with transparent backgrounds.
• Now visit a free image conversion website like Free Convert and convert each of the .png files to .ico format. Name the closed-mouth image full.ico and the open-mouthed image empty.ico.
• Right click on your desktop and select Personalize. Navigate to Themes > Desktop Icon settings.
• Click on the Recycle Bin (full) icon and select the Change Icon button. Select your full.ico image, then Apply and OK. Follow the same steps to change the Recycle Bin (empty) icon to the empty.ico image. Click Apply and OK when prompted.

Dominic Bayley / Foundry

Your Recycle Bin should now be a chomping version of your own likeness that will chomp down on files that you drag into it. Try it out for instant laughs!

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