How to Copy File and App Icons in macOS Preview

1. Copying Icons from the Finder

1. Locate the File or App:
   Open Finder and select the file or app whose icon you want to copy.

2. Copy the File or App:

   • Control-click (or right-click) the file.
   • Select Copy from the contextual menu.

3. Paste into Preview:

   • Open the Preview app.
   • In Preview, navigate to File > New from Clipboard.

4. Save or Edit the Icon:

   • Preview will display the full-size icon, complete with transparency.
   • Save the image in your desired format, including PNG, JPEG, or HEIF.

2. Special Cases

• PDF Files:
  Copying a PDF file directly results in a duplicate of the document, not its icon.

  • To get the icon:
    1. Select the file in Finder.
    2. Open File > Get Info.
    3. Click the small icon in the top-left corner of the Get Info window.
    4. Press Command-C to copy.
    5. In Preview, select File > New from Clipboard.

• Aliases:
  This method works for Finder aliases as well, giving you the generic icon for the original file or app.

3. Benefits of Using Preview

• High-Quality Output: Icons are copied in full resolution with alpha transparency.
• Quick and Easy: Faster than extracting .icns files or manually editing screenshots.
• New HEIF Support: In macOS Sonoma, Preview can save these images in HEIF format, providing efficient compression and high quality.