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c++windowswin32gui

How do I set a taskbar icon for Win32 application?

I am creating a simple Win32 GUI application for windows 10. I want to set an icon that will appear in the taskbar when it is open. I have already defined an icon in my resource file, but it only appears next to the exe file in file explorer. when I open the app it still just shows the default icon. I'm a huge noob when it comes to windows programming, so I'm sorry if I'm missing something obvious.

Any help is appreciated.

My resources.rc file:

#include "winuser.h"
CREATEPROCESS_MANIFEST_RESOURCE_ID RT_MANIFEST "TDAssist.exe.manifest"
id ICON "icon.ico"
Solution

  • The taskbar uses the icon from the window, not the first icon in the resources.

    Use LoadImage(GetModuleHandle(0),..., LR_SHARED) to get a HICON and assign it to the window when you register the window class or by sending WM_SETICON.

    The taskbar and Alt+Tab dialogs might display the .exe icon in some versions but it depends on the window style and other undocumented specifics.