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How to Change Icons for Custom SharePoint Content Types

Maira Mehtab Sep 27, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user is looking for a way to assign unique, custom icons to custom list content types in SharePoint Online.

Product: SharePoint Online
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Customizing the visual appearance and branding of list content types within a SharePoint site.
Observed behavior: SharePoint Online does not currently offer an out-of-the-box standard setting to apply custom icons to these content types.

Before you start

Verify that you have Site Owner or Site Administrator permissions in SharePoint Online, as modifying or checking content type configurations requires advanced site access.

Solution 1Recommended

Understand the Limitation and Submit Feedback

Since SharePoint Online does not currently support custom content type icons natively, the official recommendation is to submit a request to the product team.

At present, Microsoft SharePoint Online lacks a native user interface setting to assign unique icons to custom list content types. All newly created custom content types will default to the standard item icon provided by the system.

If visually distinguishing content types is a critical requirement for your organization's workflow, Microsoft encourages users to actively submit and upvote feature requests in their feedback portal.

Navigate to the SharePoint Feedback Community

Open your web browser and go to the official Microsoft Feedback portal dedicated to SharePoint.

Search for existing requests

Use the search bar to look for 'custom content type icons' to see if other users have already requested this capability. If you find one, click the upvote button to increase its priority.

Submit a new suggestion

If no existing request matches your needs, click 'Send feedback', log in with your Microsoft 365 credentials, and clearly describe your business scenario and why custom icons are necessary for content types.

Developer Alternative: View Formatting: While you cannot change the content type icon at the system level, developers can use JSON column formatting or SharePoint Framework (SPFx) extensions to display custom icons next to items in modern list views based on the content type name.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use JSON column formatting to change icons in SharePoint lists?

Yes. While you cannot change the underlying content type icon itself natively, you can apply JSON column formatting to a specific column in your list view to render custom icons based on the item's content type value.

Are custom icons supported for SharePoint Document Sets?

Document Sets have slightly different configuration options compared to standard list content types, but they also rely on standard SharePoint system icons for the core content type representation unless customized via advanced developer tools.

Will Microsoft add the custom icon feature for content types in the future?

Microsoft frequently updates SharePoint Online based on user feedback. Monitoring the official Microsoft 365 Roadmap and upvoting related features in the Feedback Community are the best ways to track its potential release.

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