How to Create a Custom Icon Gallery in Microsoft Office
Question details
The user wants to know how to store and quickly insert a small set of custom business icons, as there is no built-in icon gallery feature for this purpose.
- Product
- Microsoft Office
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Storing, organizing, and quickly inserting frequently used custom business icons into documents.
- Observed behavior
- Microsoft Office does not provide a native, dedicated gallery feature for storing custom icons, requiring users to find an alternative method to save and reuse them.
Ensure you have your custom business icons saved as image files on your local drive, and open a blank document in your Office application to begin adding them.
Use Quick Parts and AutoText to Store Custom Icons
Since Microsoft Office lacks a dedicated icon gallery, saving your frequently used images as building blocks via AutoText is the most efficient workaround for quick access.
The Quick Parts feature in Microsoft Office allows you to create reusable content blocks, including text, formatting, and images. By saving your custom icons to the AutoText gallery, you can quickly insert them into any future document without having to browse your computer's folders every time.
Open your Microsoft Office application, navigate to the 'Insert' tab, click on 'Pictures', and add your custom business icon or image into the document workspace.
Click directly on the image you just inserted so that the selection handles appear around its borders.
Go to the 'Insert' tab on the ribbon, locate the 'Text' group, and click on 'Quick Parts'. From the drop-down menu, hover over 'AutoText' and select 'Save Selection to AutoText Gallery'.
In the 'Create New Building Block' dialog box, type a recognizable name for your icon in the 'Name' field, ensure the gallery is set to 'AutoText', and click 'OK' to save it.
Try WPS Office for Seamless Document Creation and Formatting
If you are looking for a highly compatible and lightweight alternative to Microsoft Office, WPS Office offers a familiar interface and excellent tools for managing documents, images, and custom icons.
- 1. Download and Install: Visit the official WPS website to download the free WPS Office suite and install it on your computer.
- 2. Open Your Documents: Launch WPS Office and open your existing Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files with perfect format retention.
- 3. Insert Images and Icons: Navigate to the Insert tab to easily add, manage, and arrange your custom business icons in any document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are Quick Parts and AutoText entries saved in Microsoft Office?
By default, Quick Parts and AutoText entries in Microsoft Word are saved in the Normal template (Normal.dotm). This ensures that your custom icons are available across all newly created blank documents.
Can I share my custom AutoText icon gallery with colleagues?
Yes. When saving your icon to the AutoText gallery, you can choose to save it into a specific custom template (.dotx) instead of the default Normal template. You can then share that template file with your team so they can access the same icons.
Is there a limit to how many icons I can save in the AutoText gallery?
While there is no strict numerical limit, saving a massive amount of high-resolution images in your Normal template can significantly increase its file size and potentially slow down the startup performance of the application.
Why is the Quick Parts button grayed out when I try to save an icon?
The Quick Parts or 'Save Selection' button will be grayed out if you have not actively selected the image or text in your document. Ensure you click on the icon first so that its resizing handles are visible before navigating to the Insert tab.
