what is icon in computer

An icon in computing is a small graphical representation of a program, feature, or file that is displayed on a computer screen to help the user navigate a computer system). When a user clicks or double-clicks on an icon, the associated file or program opens or an action is performed. Icons are a component of graphical user interface (GUI) operating systems, including Apple macOS X and Microsoft Windows. They help users quickly identify the type of file represented by the icon and provide a more appealing visual representation, which makes them more enjoyable to use than traditional text-based links. There are different types of icons, including system icons, shortcut icons, and program folder and document icons. Icons are different from standard images in that they have standard sizes and are composed of several images, each with a different size and number of colors. The most important property of an icon is the ability to include transparent areas, which allows seeing the screen background behind the icon within its square image.