diff --git a/src/core/global.h b/src/core/global.h
--- a/src/core/global.h
+++ b/src/core/global.h
@@ -306,6 +306,31 @@
 KIOCORE_EXPORT QString favIconForUrl(const QUrl &url);
 
 /**
+ * Returns the icon in the .directory file that corresponds to the folder at
+ * the given path, if any.
+ *
+ * If unavailable, returns QString().
+ *
+ * @param path the path to a folder
+ * @return the icon listed in the folder's .directory file, or QString()
+ *
+ * @since 5.47
+ */
+KIOCORE_EXPORT QString iconFromDirectoryFile(const QString &path);
+
+/**
+ * Returns the icon for the .desktop file at the given path, if any.
+ *
+ * If unavailable, returns QString().
+ *
+ * @param path the path to a .desktop file
+ * @return the icon listed in the .desktop file, or QString()
+ *
+ * @since 5.47
+ */
+KIOCORE_EXPORT QString iconFromDesktopFile(const QString &path);
+
+/**
  * Converts KIO file permissions from mode_t to QFile::Permissions format.
  *
  * This is a convenience function for converting KIO permissions parameter from
diff --git a/src/core/global.cpp b/src/core/global.cpp
--- a/src/core/global.cpp
+++ b/src/core/global.cpp
@@ -23,9 +23,12 @@
 #include <kprotocolinfo.h>
 #include <kconfig.h>
 #include <kconfiggroup.h>
+#include <kdesktopfile.h>
 #include <klocalizedstring.h>
 #include <ksharedconfig.h>
 #include <qmimedatabase.h>
+
+#include <QDirIterator>
 #include <QUrl>
 #include <QLocale>
 #include <QFileInfo>
@@ -299,6 +302,65 @@
     return FavIconsCache::instance()->iconForUrl(url);
 }
 
+QString KIO::iconFromDirectoryFile(const QString &path)
+{
+    const QString filePath = path + QLatin1String("/.directory");
+    if (!QFileInfo(filePath).isFile()) { // exists -and- is a file
+        return QString();
+    }
+
+    KDesktopFile cfg(filePath);
+    QString icon = cfg.readIcon();
+
+    const KConfigGroup group = cfg.desktopGroup();
+    const QString emptyIcon = group.readEntry("EmptyIcon");
+    if (!emptyIcon.isEmpty()) {
+        bool isDirEmpty = true;
+        QDirIterator dirIt(path, QDir::Dirs | QDir::Files | QDir::NoDotAndDotDot);
+        while (dirIt.hasNext()) {
+            dirIt.next();
+            if (dirIt.fileName() != QLatin1String(".directory")) {
+                isDirEmpty = false;
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+        if (isDirEmpty) {
+            icon = emptyIcon;
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (icon.startsWith(QLatin1String("./"))) {
+        // path is relative with respect to the location
+        // of the .directory file (#73463)
+        return path + icon.mid(1);
+    }
+    return icon;
+}
+
+QString KIO::iconFromDesktopFile(const QString &path)
+{
+    KDesktopFile cfg(path);
+    const QString icon = cfg.readIcon();
+    if (cfg.hasLinkType()) {
+        const KConfigGroup group = cfg.desktopGroup();
+        const QString emptyIcon = group.readEntry("EmptyIcon");
+        const QString type = cfg.readPath();
+        if (!emptyIcon.isEmpty()) {
+            const QString u = cfg.readUrl();
+            const QUrl url(u);
+            if (url.scheme() == QLatin1String("trash")) {
+                // We need to find if the trash is empty, preferably without using a KIO job.
+                // So instead kio_trash leaves an entry in its config file for us.
+                KConfig trashConfig(QStringLiteral("trashrc"), KConfig::SimpleConfig);
+                if (trashConfig.group("Status").readEntry("Empty", true)) {
+                    return emptyIcon;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    return icon;
+}
+
 QString KIO::iconNameForUrl(const QUrl &url)
 {
     const QLatin1String unknown("unknown");
diff --git a/src/core/kfileitem.cpp b/src/core/kfileitem.cpp
--- a/src/core/kfileitem.cpp
+++ b/src/core/kfileitem.cpp
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@
 
 #include <QDate>
 #include <QDir>
-#include <QDirIterator>
 #include <QFile>
 #include <QMap>
 #include <QDataStream>
@@ -832,65 +831,6 @@
     }
 }
 
-static QString iconFromDirectoryFile(const QString &path)
-{
-    const QString filePath = path + QLatin1String("/.directory");
-    if (!QFileInfo(filePath).isFile()) { // exists -and- is a file
-        return QString();
-    }
-
-    KDesktopFile cfg(filePath);
-    QString icon = cfg.readIcon();
-
-    const KConfigGroup group = cfg.desktopGroup();
-    const QString emptyIcon = group.readEntry("EmptyIcon");
-    if (!emptyIcon.isEmpty()) {
-        bool isDirEmpty = true;
-        QDirIterator dirIt(path, QDir::Dirs | QDir::Files | QDir::NoDotAndDotDot);
-        while (dirIt.hasNext()) {
-            dirIt.next();
-            if (dirIt.fileName() != QLatin1String(".directory")) {
-                isDirEmpty = false;
-                break;
-            }
-        }
-        if (isDirEmpty) {
-            icon = emptyIcon;
-        }
-    }
-
-    if (icon.startsWith(QLatin1String("./"))) {
-        // path is relative with respect to the location
-        // of the .directory file (#73463)
-        return path + icon.mid(1);
-    }
-    return icon;
-}
-
-static QString iconFromDesktopFile(const QString &path)
-{
-    KDesktopFile cfg(path);
-    const QString icon = cfg.readIcon();
-    if (cfg.hasLinkType()) {
-        const KConfigGroup group = cfg.desktopGroup();
-        const QString emptyIcon = group.readEntry("EmptyIcon");
-        const QString type = cfg.readPath();
-        if (!emptyIcon.isEmpty()) {
-            const QString u = cfg.readUrl();
-            const QUrl url(u);
-            if (url.scheme() == QLatin1String("trash")) {
-                // We need to find if the trash is empty, preferably without using a KIO job.
-                // So instead kio_trash leaves an entry in its config file for us.
-                KConfig trashConfig(QStringLiteral("trashrc"), KConfig::SimpleConfig);
-                if (trashConfig.group("Status").readEntry("Empty", true)) {
-                    return emptyIcon;
-                }
-            }
-        }
-    }
-    return icon;
-}
-
 QString KFileItem::iconName() const
 {
     if (!d) {
@@ -922,16 +862,16 @@
     const bool delaySlowOperations = d->m_delayedMimeTypes;
 
     if (isLocalUrl && !delaySlowOperations && mime.inherits(QStringLiteral("application/x-desktop"))) {
-        d->m_iconName = iconFromDesktopFile(url.toLocalFile());
+        d->m_iconName = KIO::iconFromDesktopFile(url.toLocalFile());
         if (!d->m_iconName.isEmpty()) {
             d->m_useIconNameCache = d->m_bMimeTypeKnown;
             return d->m_iconName;
         }
     }
 
     if (isLocalUrl && !delaySlowOperations && isDir()) {
         if (isDirectoryMounted(url)) {
-            d->m_iconName = iconFromDirectoryFile(url.toLocalFile());
+            d->m_iconName = KIO::iconFromDirectoryFile(url.toLocalFile());
             if (!d->m_iconName.isEmpty()) {
                 d->m_useIconNameCache = d->m_bMimeTypeKnown;
                 return d->m_iconName;