diff --git a/designer/src/desktop_file_interface.cpp b/designer/src/desktop_file_interface.cpp
index 66205aa..baa1f0b 100644
--- a/designer/src/desktop_file_interface.cpp
+++ b/designer/src/desktop_file_interface.cpp
@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@ void DesktopFileInterface::SetAssetsPath(const std::string& path) {
 std::string DesktopFileInterface::ResolvePath(const std::string& path) const {
     std::string resolved = path;
 
+    // Handle file:// URLs
+    if (resolved.rfind("file://", 0) == 0) {
+        resolved = resolved.substr(7);  // Strip "file://"
+    }
+
     // Handle URL-encoded Windows drive letters (D| -> D:)
     // RmlUi sometimes encodes the colon in Windows paths
     if (resolved.size() >= 2 && std::isalpha(resolved[0]) && resolved[1] == '|') {
diff --git a/src/main/assets/apps/home/home.lua b/src/main/assets/apps/home/home.lua
index 82c8f1d..bbdadca 100644
--- a/src/main/assets/apps/home/home.lua
+++ b/src/main/assets/apps/home/home.lua
@@ -121,9 +121,14 @@ function renderThirdPartyApps()
             else
                 icon_path = app.icon
             end
+            -- Use file:// prefix for absolute paths to prevent RmlUi URL resolution
+            local src_path = icon_path
+            if icon_path:sub(1, 1) == "/" then
+                src_path = "file://" .. icon_path
+            end
             -- Use img tag for actual icon
-            icon_html = '<img src="' .. icon_path .. '" style="width: 48px; height: 48px;"/>'
-            print("[Home] Loading icon: " .. icon_path)
+            icon_html = '<img src="' .. src_path .. '" style="width: 48px; height: 48px;"/>'
+            print("[Home] Loading icon: " .. src_path)
         else
             -- Fallback to initial letter
             icon_html = '<span style="font-size: 28px; color: #000000;">' .. initial .. '</span>'
diff --git a/src/main/cpp/kernel.cpp b/src/main/cpp/kernel.cpp
index 678b446..835b02d 100644
--- a/src/main/cpp/kernel.cpp
+++ b/src/main/cpp/kernel.cpp
@@ -66,9 +66,17 @@ public:
         return instance;
     }
 
-    // Check if path is a filesystem path (starts with /)
+    // Check if path is a filesystem path (starts with / or file://)
     static bool IsFilesystemPath(const Rml::String& path) {
-        return !path.empty() && path[0] == '/';
+        return !path.empty() && (path[0] == '/' || path.rfind("file://", 0) == 0);
+    }
+
+    // Get the actual filesystem path, stripping file:// prefix if present
+    static Rml::String GetFilesystemPath(const Rml::String& path) {
+        if (path.rfind("file://", 0) == 0) {
+            return path.substr(7);  // Strip "file://"
+        }
+        return path;
     }
 
     Rml::FileHandle Open(const Rml::String &path) override
@@ -77,7 +85,8 @@ public:
 
         if (IsFilesystemPath(path)) {
             // Filesystem path
-            auto* file = new std::ifstream(path, std::ios::binary);
+            Rml::String fs_path = GetFilesystemPath(path);
+            auto* file = new std::ifstream(fs_path, std::ios::binary);
             if (!file->is_open()) {
                 delete file;
                 delete wrapper;
@@ -175,7 +184,8 @@ public:
     {
         if (IsFilesystemPath(path)) {
             // Load from filesystem
-            std::ifstream file(path, std::ios::binary | std::ios::ate);
+            Rml::String fs_path = GetFilesystemPath(path);
+            std::ifstream file(fs_path, std::ios::binary | std::ios::ate);
             if (!file.is_open()) return false;
 
             size_t size = file.tellg();