How to Add a Custom Icon in Shortcuts (iOS & macOS Guide)
The Shortcuts app lets you do more than automate tasks — it also lets you replace the default app icons on your home screen with any image you choose. Whether you want a cleaner aesthetic, a branded look for a workflow, or just something more recognizable at a glance, adding a custom icon is entirely doable without any third-party tools on Apple devices.
Here's how it works, what affects the experience, and what to keep in mind before you start.
What "Custom Icon in Shortcuts" Actually Means
When people talk about adding a custom icon in Shortcuts, they're usually referring to one of two things:
- Replacing a home screen app icon — using the Shortcuts app to create a home screen bookmark that launches an app (or a shortcut) with a custom image in place of the original icon.
- Assigning an icon to a shortcut itself — changing the glyph and color that appears inside the Shortcuts app for a specific automation.
Both are possible, but they work differently and have different limitations.
How to Add a Custom Icon to a Home Screen Shortcut (iOS)
This is the most common use case — swapping out an app's icon for a custom image on your iPhone or iPad home screen.
Step-by-step:
- Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap the + button to create a new shortcut (or open an existing one).
- Add the action "Open App" and select the app you want to launch.
- Tap the share icon (box with arrow) or the shortcut name at the top, then select "Add to Home Screen."
- On the home screen preview, tap the icon image to the left of the shortcut name.
- Choose "Choose Photo," "Choose File," or "Take Photo" to select your custom image.
- Crop and position the image as needed, then tap "Add."
The shortcut now appears on your home screen with your chosen image. When tapped, it will briefly open the Shortcuts app before launching the target — this is a known limitation of the method, not a bug. ⚠️
How to Change the Icon of a Shortcut Inside the Shortcuts App
If you want the icon that appears within the Shortcuts app itself (not the home screen), the process is slightly different:
- Open the shortcut you want to edit.
- Tap the shortcut name at the top of the editor.
- Select "Choose Icon."
- From here, you can pick from Apple's built-in glyph library, change the background color, or (on newer iOS versions) select a photo or emoji as the icon.
This icon change only affects how the shortcut looks inside the Shortcuts app — it won't automatically update any existing home screen bookmark you've already added.
How Custom Shortcut Icons Work on macOS
On macOS, the Shortcuts app is available natively on Macs running Ventura or later. The process for assigning an icon to a shortcut follows a similar pattern:
- Open Shortcuts on your Mac.
- Right-click a shortcut and select "Edit."
- Click the shortcut's icon at the top of the editor.
- Choose a glyph, color, or upload a custom image.
Adding a shortcut to the macOS Dock or desktop behaves differently than on iOS — there's no direct "Add to Home Screen" equivalent, but shortcuts can be pinned to the Dock via File > Add to Dock.
Key Variables That Affect the Experience 🎨
Not every setup produces the same result. Several factors shape how custom icons behave:
| Variable | How It Affects the Outcome |
|---|---|
| iOS version | Older versions have fewer icon customization options (e.g., photo icons require iOS 15+) |
| Image format and quality | PNGs with transparency work best; low-res images appear blurry |
| Shortcut purpose | "Open App" shortcuts show a brief Shortcuts app launch delay; native shortcuts don't |
| macOS vs. iOS | Icon customization options and Dock behavior differ meaningfully between platforms |
| Third-party icon packs | Custom icon sets (downloaded as image files) work as source images but require manual setup |
The Delay Issue — What to Know
One widely discussed limitation of the home screen icon method is the launch delay: tapping a custom icon shortcut opens the Shortcuts app for a moment before switching to the target app. On older devices or slower connections, this pause is more noticeable.
Some users accept this as a cosmetic tradeoff. Others find it disruptive enough to avoid the method entirely. There's no current way to eliminate this delay within the Shortcuts framework on iOS — it's a result of how the operating system handles shortcut execution, not a configuration problem you can fix.
Image Sources That Work Well
When selecting a custom icon image, results vary based on the source:
- Dedicated icon packs — many are available as free downloads or through design marketplaces, formatted specifically at correct resolutions
- Your own photos — work fine but may need cropping to look clean at icon size
- Emoji screenshots or illustrations — popular for aesthetic home screen setups, though resolution can be inconsistent
- Vector exports (PNG format) — tend to produce the sharpest results at small display sizes
The Shortcuts app will crop your image into a rounded square automatically, so images with important content near the edges may get clipped.
When the Built-In Options Aren't Enough
Apple's built-in glyph library inside Shortcuts includes hundreds of symbols — organized by category — and pairs with a full color picker. For many users, this covers everything needed for a clean, organized shortcut library without importing any external images.
For highly specific branding, app-matching aesthetics, or a fully cohesive home screen theme, external images give more control — but also require more manual effort per shortcut.
How far this customization is worth taking depends heavily on your goals: functional organization looks very different from a fully styled home screen, and the time investment scales accordingly with how many shortcuts you're customizing and how precise you want the final result to look.