Construct your Windows app's icon

  • Article

A diagram that shows several icon locations in Windows 11.

Once you've designed your app's icon, you need to create the icon files themselves. Because Windows supports multiple themes, display resolutions, and scale factors, you should provide multiple versions of your icon to make sure it looks great on every device, at any size.

Icon sizes (WPF, UWP, WinUI)

Windows will display your app icon at a variety of sizes depending on where your icon is being displayed and the user's display scale settings. The following table lists all the possible sizes that Windows may use to display your icon.

Icon sizes (Win32)

Windows ICO files have been around for a long time. There are standard sizes that are used which is a subset of the full set above.

Icon scaling

When Windows displays your app's icon, it will look for an exact size match first. If there is no exact match it will look for the next size above and scale down. Including more icon sizes with your app means Windows will more often have a pixel-perfect match, and reduce the amount of scaling applied to scaled icons.

Windows 11 scale factor 100% 125% 150% 200% 250% 300% 400%
Context menu, title bar, system tray 16px 20px 24px 32px 40px 48px 64px
Taskbar, search results, Start all apps list 24px 30px 36px 48px 60px 72px 96px
Start pins 32px 40px 48px 64px 80px 96px 256px

Note

Apps should have, at the bare minimum: 16x16, 24x24, 32x32, 48x48, and 256x256. This covers the most common icon sizes, and by providing a 256px icon, ensures Windows should only ever scale your icon down, never up.

Transparent backgrounds

Icons look best with a transparent background. If your app's branding requires your icon be plated on a background, that's okay too. However, you'll have to re-implement some theming functionality that transparent icons get for free. For example, you might provide a version of your app's icon plated on a two different backgrounds, one better suited to a light theme and the other to a dark theme.

Complete list of icons and variations

Windows utilizes different icon assets in different UI contexts. The usage has changed a little between Windows 10 & Windows 11.

The lists below define the specific filenames Windows expects to contain each corresponding icon.

App icon

In Windows 10 and 11, the AppList icon is your app's primary icon. It will be used in several places, including the Taskbar, Start pins, the all app list, and the search results list. Windows 11 selects an appropriate icon for the all apps list based on the current scale factor, but Windows 10 uses specific, explicitly defined icons if you provide them.

Separate files for all three theme variations (default, light theme, dark theme) are required, even if the icon is the same. If you do not provide these files, your icon will appear on a system icon plate to ensure a minimum contrast ratio.

App List Target Size (Required)

  • AppList.targetsize-16.png
  • AppList.targetsize-20.png
  • AppList.targetsize-24.png
  • AppList.targetsize-30.png
  • AppList.targetsize-32.png
  • AppList.targetsize-36.png
  • AppList.targetsize-40.png
  • AppList.targetsize-48.png
  • AppList.targetsize-60.png
  • AppList.targetsize-64.png
  • AppList.targetsize-72.png
  • AppList.targetsize-80.png
  • AppList.targetsize-96.png
  • AppList.targetsize-256.png

Dark theme (Required)

  • AppList.targetsize-16_altform-unplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-20_altform-unplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-24_altform-unplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-30_altform-unplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-32_altform-unplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-36_altform-unplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-40_altform-unplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-48_altform-unplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-60_altform-unplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-64_altform-unplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-72_altform-unplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-80_altform-unplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-96_altform-unplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-256_altform-unplated.png

Light theme (Required)

  • AppList.targetsize-16_altform-lightunplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-20_altform-lightunplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-24_altform-lightunplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-30_altform-lightunplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-32_altform-lightunplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-36_altform-lightunplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-40_altform-lightunplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-48_altform-lightunplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-60_altform-lightunplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-64_altform-lightunplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-72_altform-lightunplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-80_altform-lightunplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-96_altform-lightunplated.png
  • AppList.targetsize-256_altform-lightunplated.png

App List Scale (Windows 10) (Optional)

  • AppList.scale-100.png
  • AppList.scale-125.png
  • AppList.scale-150.png
  • AppList.scale-200.png
  • AppList.scale-400.png

Light theme (Windows 10) (Optional)

  • AppList.scale-100_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • AppList.scale-125_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • AppList.scale-150_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • AppList.scale-200_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • AppList.scale-400_altform-colorful_theme-light.png

Note

If you do not include the targetsize-*-altform-unplated assets above your icon will scale to a smaller size and will get an undesirable backplate behind the icon on Taskbar and Start.

Tiles

Windows 10 supports four tile sizes: small, medium, wide, and large.

Default / dark theme (partially required)

  • SmallTile.scale-100.png
  • SmallTile.scale-125.png
  • SmallTile.scale-150.png
  • SmallTile.scale-200.png
  • SmallTile.scale-400.png
  • MedTile.scale-100.png
  • MedTile.scale-125.png
  • MedTile.scale-150.png
  • MedTile.scale-200.png
  • MedTile.scale-400.png
  • WideTile.scale-100.png
  • WideTile.scale-125.png
  • WideTile.scale-150.png
  • WideTile.scale-200.png
  • WideTile.scale-400.png
  • LargeTile.scale-100.png
  • LargeTile.scale-125.png
  • LargeTile.scale-150.png
  • LargeTile.scale-200.png
  • LargeTile.scale-400.png

Light theme (optional)

  • SmallTile.scale-100_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • SmallTile.scale-125_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • SmallTile.scale-150_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • SmallTile.scale-200_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • SmallTile.scale-400_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • MedTile.scale-100_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • MedTile.scale-125_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • MedTile.scale-150_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • MedTile.scale-200_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • MedTile.scale-400_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • WideTile.scale-100_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • WideTile.scale-125_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • WideTile.scale-150_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • WideTile.scale-200_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • WideTile.scale-400_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • LargeTile.scale-100_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • LargeTile.scale-125_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • LargeTile.scale-150_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • LargeTile.scale-200_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • LargeTile.scale-400_altform-colorful_theme-light.png

Note

Windows 11 does not use the tile assets, but currently at minimum the Medium tile assets at 100% are required to publish to the Microsoft Store. If your app is Windows 10 & 11 compatible it is suggested that you include as many tile assets as possible.

Splash screen

Splash screens can also be Light and Dark theme aware like the App icon assets.

Default

  • SplashScreen.scale-100.png
  • SplashScreen.scale-125.png
  • SplashScreen.scale-150.png
  • SplashScreen.scale-200.png
  • SplashScreen.scale-400.png

Dark theme (Optional)

  • SplashScreen.scale-100_altform-colorful_theme-dark.png
  • SplashScreen.scale-125_altform-colorful_theme-dark.png
  • SplashScreen.scale-150_altform-colorful_theme-dark.png
  • SplashScreen.scale-200_altform-colorful_theme-dark.png
  • SplashScreen.scale-400_altform-colorful_theme-dark.png

Light theme (Optional)

  • SplashScreen.scale-100_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • SplashScreen.scale-125_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • SplashScreen.scale-150_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • SplashScreen.scale-200_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • SplashScreen.scale-400_altform-colorful_theme-light.png

Badge icons are used on the Windows 10 lock screen and for most apps are not required.

Windows 10 (optional)

  • BadgeLogo.scale-100.png
  • BadgeLogo.scale-125.png
  • BadgeLogo.scale-150.png
  • BadgeLogo.scale-200.png
  • BadgeLogo.scale-400.png

These assets are required to publish to the Microsoft Store.

Default / Dark theme (required)

  • StoreLogo.scale-100.png
  • StoreLogo.scale-125.png
  • StoreLogo.scale-150.png
  • StoreLogo.scale-200.png
  • StoreLogo.scale-400.png

Light theme (optional)

  • StoreLogo.scale-100_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • StoreLogo.scale-125_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • StoreLogo.scale-150_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • StoreLogo.scale-200_altform-colorful_theme-light.png
  • StoreLogo.scale-400_altform-colorful_theme-light.png