Some of our readers may remember the work of Susan Kare, the designer who created the icons and fonts for the original Macintosh. However, Susan also brought her talent to the Microsoft world, developing icons and screen elements in Windows 3.0. Those icons remained almost unchanged in Windows 95 and Windows 98. If you want a copy of them, you can always reinstall those operating systems and extract them, but the dedicated portal of Alex Meub lets you view them in the browser and download a zip with all the .ico files.
A Quick Comparison
Let's do a test: Install Windows 95 or Windows 98 in your favorite virtualizer, and visit the Control Panel. Then repeat that same visit in Windows 10 or Windows 11. I'm convinced that many users will appreciate the minimalism and the 'less is more' strategy in the old versions, but from a strictly aesthetic point of view, the improvements in the icons are evident.
Now, that doesn't mean that the appearance of the latest Windows is perfect. In fact, there are several aspects that could receive optimization, and this includes the mouse pointer itself. On the other hand, when applying a more 'retro' configuration, we discover that the results are not so complete. If you are thinking of doing something like that, why not download the Windows 98 icons?
No, I figure Redmond doesn't like the idea much, but neither would it make good use of its time sending a couple of 'cease and desist' letters for icons that are more than 20 years old. Of course, Microsoft has surprised us on more than one occasion.
Therefore, I recommend that your visit to Alex Meub's portal be quick, and download the zip with the .ico files inside. They are 635 to be more precise. Don't forget that Windows 98 icons are made with 256 colors, in sizes 16 x 16, 32 x 32 and 48 x 48 pixels.
Of course, those resolutions don't get along very well with high-definition panels. If you use 4K on the desktop, you shouldn't expect too much from these icons, but we still invite you to try. At the same time, Windows 98 icons can serve as a source of inspiration for your personal designs. What are you waiting for?
Official site and download: Click here
