One of the most exciting things that you can do with pretty much all of your Apple devices is to use custom icons for your favorite apps. The most popular option is to use the built-in Shortcuts app to have a unified theme on your iPhone or iPad.
The problem is that finding icons to match the aesthetic that you are going for can be a difficult task. But there’s a new tool that’s available that makes it easier than ever to create your own custom icons, even if you don’t know how to use tools like Figma, Adobe Illustrator, or even Photoshop.
What is Raycast?
Whether you’re a longtime Mac user or someone who just got a Mac for the first time, you probably already know about Spotlight. This is a system application that makes it easy to search for specific files, open different apps, all just by pressing CMD + Space on your Mac’s keyboard.
However, over the years, there have been a few replacements, with Alfred continuing to be one of the most popular Spotlight replacement apps. In 2020, Raycast was introduced as an alternative to Alfred and Spotlight, and since then, it has taken the Mac space by storm.
Not only can you perform all of the same operations and tasks offered by Spotlight, but there are also a plethora of built-in extensions that give you even more flexibility. One example is the built-in window management tools, removing the need to use another third-party app such as Magnet or Rectangle.
Where the real power of Raycast comes in is the ability to download and install extensions either from third-party developers or from the Raycast team itself. This can truly help to turn your Mac into the ultimate productivity tool, getting information at a glance, managing your todo lists, creating notes, and so much more.
The developers of Raycast haven’t stopped innovating and implementing new features and tools to improve the overall experience. This brings us to the ability to make custom icons on Mac. All of this can be done right from your web browser of choice, regardless of whether you are using Raycast or if you are still using Apple’s built-in Spotlight feature.
Instead, the Raycast developers have created a web tool that offers the ability to create custom icons, and here’s how you can do so:
On the left side of the page, search through the list of available icons.
Alternatively, you can also use a saved .svg file from your Mac.
On the right side of the page, go through the following sections to customize your custom icon:
Fill Presets
Fill Styles
Fill Type
Primary color
Secondary color
Angle
Background
Radial Glare
Noise Texture
Noise opacity
Radius
Stroke size
Stroke color
Stroke opacity
Icon
Color
Size
Once you’ve finished customizing your icon, click the Export icon button in the top right corner.
It’s important to note that when you go through the process to create and make custom icons on Mac, the files that are saved measure in at 512 x 512 pixels. This is done intentionally and is the same size of the icons that are used on your iPhone or iPad. After you have gone through and created custom icons, you can then move the files to your iPhone using AirDrop. But we recommend creating a folder within iCloud Drive, making it easy to access them from your iPhone or iPad with the built-in Files app.
Andrew Myrick is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US. He enjoys everything to do with technology, including tablets, smartphones, and everything in between. Perhaps his favorite past-time is having a never-ending supply of different keyboards and gaming handhelds that end up collecting more dust than the consoles that are being emulated.
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