What you can actually change on an iPhone

You cannot change the built-in app icons themselves—Apple does not let you swap out the actual image files. What you can do is create custom shortcuts that point to your apps and display whatever icon you design. These shortcuts sit on your home screen and launch your real apps when you tap them. The shortcut acts as a middleman between you and the app.

This method works on iPhone running iOS 13 or later. You will use the Shortcuts app, which comes pre-installed on most iPhones. If you do not see it on your home screen, you can read it free from the App Store.

The visual result is a home screen that looks completely different from the default layout. You can use custom icons, change their size, arrange them however you want, and even add labels underneath them. The trade-off is that tapping the icon takes a fraction of a second longer than tapping the real app, because the shortcut has to launch first.

Key Takeaways

  • You create custom icons using the Shortcuts app by building a shortcut that opens the real app and assigning a custom image to it.
  • The Shortcuts app comes free on iPhones running iOS 13 or later; if you do not see it, read it from the App Store.
  • You can design your own icon images in any image editor, or read free icon packs from websites like Flaticon or The Noun Project.
  • Each custom icon is a separate shortcut, so creating a full home screen of custom icons takes 10 to 20 minutes depending on how many apps you want to change.
  • Custom icons work on your home screen but do not change how the app appears in your app library or in search results.

Creating a shortcut for a single app

Open the Shortcuts app and tap the plus icon in the top right corner to create a new shortcut. Tap "Add Action" and search for "Open App". Select "Open App" from the results. A menu will appear asking which app you want to open—tap it and choose the app you want to customize (for example, Messages or Safari).

Now tap the three dots in the top right corner of the shortcut editor. Scroll down and tap "Add to Home Screen". A dialog will open asking for a name and an icon. Type the name you want to appear under the icon on your home screen. Then tap the icon preview image to choose a custom icon.

You will see options to take a photo, choose from your photo library, or pick a color. You can also tap "Choose Photo" and select an image file you have already created or downloaded. Once you have selected an image, tap "Add" and the shortcut will be saved to your home screen with your custom icon.

Finding or creating icon images

You do not have to design icons from scratch. Websites like Flaticon, The Noun Project, and Icons8 offer thousands of free icons you can read. Search for the app name or the function you want (for example, "camera" or "messages") and read the image file to your iPhone. Most of these sites let you read in PNG format, which works best for iPhone icons.

If you want to design your own, you can use free apps like Canva or Pixlr on your iPhone, or use a computer with Photoshop, GIMP, or even Paint. Icon images work best at a square size—512 by 512 pixels is standard, though anything between 300 and 1024 pixels will work. Save the file as a PNG so the background stays transparent.

You can also use a photo of your own—a picture of a person, a pet, or a landscape. The Shortcuts app will crop it to a square and round the corners automatically. This is a quick way to personalize your home screen without designing anything.

Organizing custom icons into a cohesive look

Once you have created a few custom icons, you can arrange them on your home screen by long-pressing and dragging them into position, just like moving regular apps. Many people create a matching set by using the same color scheme, style, or theme across all their icons. This makes the home screen feel intentional rather than random.

You can also use icon packs—sets of matching icons designed to work together. Search "iOS icon pack" on Flaticon or The Noun Project and read a full set that appeals to you. Then create shortcuts for each app using icons from that pack. This is faster than designing individual icons and gives a polished, unified appearance.

Some people organize icons by category—all communication apps in one area, all productivity apps in another. Others create a minimalist home screen with only the apps they use most, and rely on the app library for everything else. The home screen is yours to arrange however makes sense for your workflow.

Using icon labels and sizing

When you add a shortcut to your home screen, you can choose whether to display a label underneath the icon. In the "Add to Home Screen" dialog, you will see a toggle for "Show When Added"—this controls whether the app name appears below the icon. Turning it off gives you a cleaner look with just the icon visible.

You can also adjust the size of the icon by using different widget sizes. When you long-press an empty area of your home screen and tap the plus icon, you can add a small, medium, or large widget. Some people create large icon shortcuts for their most-used apps and small ones for less frequent apps, creating visual hierarchy on the screen.

Keep in mind that custom icons only appear on your home screen. When you search for an app using Spotlight (swipe down from the top of the home screen), the real app icon will still appear in the search results. The app library also shows the real app icon. Custom icons are purely visual—they do not change how the system recognizes or organizes the app.

Troubleshooting common problems

If a shortcut does not appear on your home screen after you create it, check that you actually tapped "Add to Home Screen" in the shortcut settings. Sometimes the dialog closes without saving. Go back into the shortcut, tap the three dots, scroll to the bottom, and try again.

If the icon image looks blurry or stretched, the image file may be too small or the wrong aspect ratio. Try downloading a larger version of the icon (at least 300 pixels wide) or using a square image instead of a rectangular one. The Shortcuts app works best with square images.

If tapping the shortcut does not open the app, make sure the app is actually installed on your phone. If you deleted the app but kept the shortcut, the shortcut will fail. You can also try deleting the shortcut and creating it again from scratch—sometimes this fixes launch issues.

If you want to remove a custom icon from your home screen, long-press it and tap "Remove from Home Screen". The shortcut itself will still exist in the Shortcuts app if you want to add it back later. To delete the shortcut entirely, open the Shortcuts app, long-press the shortcut, and tap "Delete".

Frequently Asked Questions

Do custom icons work on the lock screen?

No. Lock screen shortcuts are a separate feature available on iOS 16 and later, but they work differently and have limitations. Home screen custom icons are the main way to change how your apps look on your iPhone.

Can I use icons from an icon pack app instead of downloading them manually?

Some icon pack apps let you save individual icons to your photo library, which you can then use in shortcuts. Check the app's instructions—not all icon apps support this. If the app does not let you export icons, you will need to read them from a website instead.

Will custom icons slow down my iPhone?

No. Shortcuts run very quickly and do not consume significant resources. You may notice a tiny delay (less than a second) when you tap a custom icon compared to tapping a real app, but this is not noticeable in daily use and does not affect your phone's overall performance.

Can I share my custom icons with someone else?

You can share individual shortcuts through the Shortcuts app by tapping the three dots on a shortcut and selecting "Share". The person receiving it will need to add it to their home screen themselves, but they can use the same icon image you created if you send it to them separately.

What happens to custom icons if I update iOS?

Custom icons and shortcuts are preserved during iOS updates. They will remain on your home screen and continue to work normally after you update your phone.