The moricons.dll Library

Icons from the early 1990s, belonging to older system versions, are still preserved in the Windows operating system.

These graphical elements are stored in the moricons.dll file, which is only 12 kilobytes in size. The library contains dozens of pixelated images for old MS-DOS programs.

The history of these icons dates back to the Windows 3.0 era, when DOS applications were launched in windows with gray pictograms.

With the release of Windows 3.1, the approach changed: more attractive images began to be used instead of standard icons.

Initially, they were stored in progman.exe, but soon they were moved to a separate library called moricons.dll, which means "more icons".

Microsoft engineer Raymond Chen explains that the file remains in the system even in Windows 11.

Despite dropping support for MS-DOS in 64-bit versions, developers did not delete this tiny file.

System migrations were often mechanical, and no one dared to touch the library for the sake of compatibility.

• moricons.dll — an icon library for old applications
• Windows 3.1 — the first version with improved pictograms
• Raymond Chen — Microsoft engineer commenting on the system's history
• Program Information File (PIF) — a configuration format for DOS programs