Icon (computing)

A computer icon is a small graphic, usually ranging from 16 pixels by 16 pixels up to 128 pixels by 128 pixels, which represents a file, folder, application or device on a computer operating system. Icons were first developed as a tool for making computer interfaces easier for novices to grasp in the 1970s at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center facility. Icon-driven interfaces were later popularized by the Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating environments.

Related Topics:
Graphic - Pixel - File - Folder - Application - Operating system - 1970s - Xerox - Palo Alto Research Center - Apple Macintosh - Microsoft Windows

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Icons may also be found on the toolbars and in the menus of computer application software such as Microsoft Word.

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Virtually every major computer operating system has the ability to use an icon-based graphical user interface (GUI) to display information to end users.

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