Adding Custom Icons to Your Symbology in ArcGIS Pro

How to add a new icon to your map symbols in ArcGIS Pro

To add a custom icon to your symbology in ArcGIS Pro, you need to import an image file into your project's style library, then assign it to a layer through the Symbology pane. ArcGIS Pro stores these custom symbols in a style file that you can reuse across projects. The process takes about five minutes once you have your image ready.

You'll need an image file in a format ArcGIS Pro recognizes — PNG, BMP, GIF, JPEG, or SVG work best. PNG files with transparent backgrounds are ideal because they layer cleanly over your map without white boxes around them. If you're starting from scratch, you can create a simple icon in any image editor or find one from a free icon library online.

Key Takeaways

Custom icons must be imported into a style file before you can use them in symbology — you cannot point directly to a file on your computer.
PNG files with transparent backgrounds work best because they won't show white boxes when placed on your map.
You can add icons to either your project's default style or create a new style file that you share with your team.
Once imported, your custom icon appears in the Symbology pane and can be resized and colored just like built-in symbols.

Prepare your image file before importing

Start by making sure your image is the right size and format. ArcGIS Pro works best with square images between 16 and 256 pixels on each side — 32x32 or 64x64 pixels is a safe middle ground. If your image is much larger, it will slow down your map display; if it's too small, it will look blurry when you zoom in.

Save your file as PNG if possible. PNG supports transparent backgrounds, which means your icon will sit cleanly on the map without a white or colored rectangle around it. If you only have a JPEG or other format, ArcGIS Pro will still import it, but any background color will show on your map. You can convert most image formats to PNG using free online tools or image editors like GIMP or Paint.NET.

Open the Style Manager to import your icon

In ArcGIS Pro, go to the View tab at the top of the window. Look for the Style Manager button — it's usually in the Windows group on the right side of the ribbon. Click it to open a new panel on the right side of your screen.

The Style Manager shows all the symbol styles available to your project. At the top of the panel, you'll see a dropdown menu that currently shows something like "ArcGIS 2D" or "Default Style". This dropdown controls which style file you're editing. If you want your custom icon to be available in all your projects, make sure you're working in a shared style file rather than a project-specific one. For now, the default is fine.

Create a new symbol and add your image

In the Style Manager panel, right-click in the empty space below the style name and select New Symbol. A menu will appear asking what type of symbol you want to create. Choose Point Symbol if you're marking locations, Line Symbol if you're styling routes or boundaries, or Polygon Symbol if you're filling areas. For most custom icons, you'll use Point Symbol.

After you select the symbol type, the Symbol Editor window opens. This is where you'll add your image. On the left side of the Symbol Editor, you'll see a list of symbol layers. Click the plus sign to add a new layer, then select Picture Marker from the menu. This tells ArcGIS Pro that you want to use an image file as your symbol.

Browse for your image and set the size

Once you've added a Picture Marker layer, the Symbol Editor shows a preview area and a properties panel below it. In the properties panel, look for a button labeled Picture or an icon that looks like a folder. Click it to open a file browser. Navigate to wherever you saved your image file and select it. ArcGIS Pro will import the image and show a preview in the Symbol Editor.

Below the picture button, you'll see a Size field, usually measured in points. Start with 18 to 24 points for most maps — you can always adjust this later. If your icon looks too small or too large in the preview, change the size number and watch the preview update. You can also set the rotation angle here if your icon needs to point in a specific direction, though most icons don't need this.

Save your custom symbol and name it

At the top of the Symbol Editor window, you'll see a text field with a default name like "Picture Marker Symbol 1". Replace this with a descriptive name that you'll recognize later — something like "Fire Station" or "Hospital Location" works better than the default. This name is what you'll see when you browse symbols in the Symbology pane.

Once you've named it and set the size, click the OK button at the bottom of the Symbol Editor. ArcGIS Pro saves your custom symbol to the style file and closes the editor. Your new icon now appears in the Style Manager panel under the Point Symbols category, and it's ready to use on any layer in your project.

Apply your custom icon to a map layer

To use your new icon on a map, select the layer you want to style in the Contents pane on the left side of ArcGIS Pro. Then go to the Feature Layer tab in the ribbon and click Symbology. The Symbology pane opens on the right side of the screen.

In the Symbology pane, you'll see a preview of the current symbol and options to change it. Click the preview box or the Change Symbol button to open the symbol browser. Your custom icon appears in the list under Point Symbols. Click it to select it, then click OK. ArcGIS Pro applies your custom icon to all the points in that layer. If you need different icons for different categories of points — for example, fire stations versus hospitals — you can set up multiple symbol rules in the Symbology pane using the Unique Values or Match to Symbols option.

Save your style file so you can reuse it

If you've created several custom icons and want to use them in other projects, save your style file in a location where you can find it later. In the Style Manager, right-click the style name at the top and select Save As. Choose a folder on your computer or network drive where your team can access it — many organizations keep shared styles in a common folder or on a shared drive.

Once you've saved the style file, you can load it into any ArcGIS Pro project. In a new project, open the Style Manager, click the dropdown at the top, and select Add Style. Browse to your saved style file and open it. All your custom icons will now be available in that project. This is especially useful if you work on multiple maps for the same organization and want consistent symbols across all of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use SVG files as custom icons?

Yes, SVG files work well in ArcGIS Pro and often look sharper than raster images like PNG because they scale without losing quality. Import them the same way — create a Picture Marker symbol and browse for your SVG file. SVG is a good choice if you plan to resize your icons frequently or display them at different zoom levels.

What if my custom icon has a white background and I want it transparent?

You need to edit the image file before importing it. Open the file in an image editor like GIMP, Paint.NET, or Photoshop, select the white background using the magic wand or select-by-color tool, delete it, and save the file as PNG with transparency enabled. Then import the edited version into ArcGIS Pro.

Can I change the color of my custom icon after I add it to the map?

It depends on the image format. PNG and other raster images cannot be recolored in ArcGIS Pro — the color is fixed in the image file. SVG files can sometimes be recolored if they're set up correctly, but this requires the SVG to use specific color properties. For maximum flexibility, create your icons in a neutral color like black or gray and edit them in an image editor if you need different colors.

Where does ArcGIS Pro store custom symbols?

Custom symbols are stored in style files, which are database files with a .stylx extension. Project-specific styles are usually saved in your project folder, while shared styles can be stored anywhere on your computer or network. You can see the file path in the Style Manager by right-clicking the style name and selecting Properties.

Can I delete a custom symbol I no longer need?

Yes. In the Style Manager, right-click the symbol you want to remove and select Delete. This removes it from the style file permanently. If you've already used that symbol on a map layer, the layer will keep displaying it, but you won't be able to select it again from the symbol browser.

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