Editing icons

IconGenerator can open icons in an external SVG vector editor so you can create your own variants (starting from existing icons in the database).

This workflow is intended for free icon sets and activated (licensed) icon sets. Once edited, your custom icon can be used like any other icon:

  • apply overlays,

  • colorize,

  • generate files,

  • add to a collection.

Important

IconGenerator does not include a vector editor. You must install an external SVG editor and configure it.

Icon editing principles

Edit copies only

Original icons from the database are never modified. Before editing, IconGenerator creates a copy of the icon and opens that copy in your vector editor.

By default, you are prompted to confirm this behavior the first time you edit.

Tip

The prompt is controlled by the preference Ask to duplicate original icon before edition (see Edit ‣ Preferences… F2, General tab).

Two sizes: two editing documents

Some icon families provide two native sizes (for example a “large” size and a “small” size optimized for menus).

When you edit an icon from such a set:

  • IconGenerator creates two SVG copies (one per size).

  • Your editor opens two documents/windows: one for the large icon and one for the small icon.

To keep your UI consistent, edit and save both versions.

Configure the external SVG editor

  1. Open Preferences:

    • Edit ‣ Preferences… F2

  2. Open the Editors tab.

  3. Choose a default editor:

    • If the editor is detected, select it from the list and click Set as Default.

    • Or click Browse… and select the executable of your preferred editor.

Preferences dialog - Editors tab

Configure the default SVG editor in Preferences.

Editors detected automatically

IconGenerator can automatically detect and propose common SVG editors, including:

  • Axialis IconVectors

  • Adobe Illustrator

  • Inkscape

  • Affinity Designer

Note

The Edit Icon With submenu (see below) is built dynamically from the editors detected on your machine.

Use any SVG editor

You are not limited to the detected editors. You can specify the path to any SVG editor that can open and save SVG files.

Editing workflow

Start editing an icon

  1. Select an icon in the icon list.

  2. Use one of the following commands:

    • Edit ‣ Edit Icon

    • Edit ‣ Edit Icon With ‣ <editor name> (choose a specific editor)

    • Edit ‣ Duplicate For Edition Ctrl+D (create a copy first, then edit)

When you choose Edit Icon, IconGenerator uses your configured default editor.

When you choose Edit Icon With, you can pick a specific editor for this one operation.

Duplicate for edition

Use Edit ‣ Duplicate For Edition Ctrl+D when you want to create editable variants without immediately modifying the original.

Typical use cases:

  • create several variants (different shapes, details, colors),

  • keep the original icon untouched while experimenting.

After duplication, select the duplicate icon and use Edit ‣ Edit Icon to open it.

Save changes and use the icon in IconGenerator

After editing in your external editor:

  1. Save the SVG file(s) in the editor.

  2. Return to IconGenerator.

IconGenerator uses the saved SVG(s) for preview and generation. If you do not see the update immediately, reselect the icon in the icon list (or close and reopen the document).

You can now use your edited icon like any other:

  • apply overlays (see Adding Overlays),

  • colorize (see Colorizing icons),

  • generate files (File ‣ Create Generated Icon Files F3),

  • or add it to a collection (Collection ‣ Add Generated Icons to Collection… Ctrl+W).

Special workflow: edit with Axialis IconVectors

Axialis IconVectors is the recommended editor for icon work because it is designed specifically for:

  • small, grid-aligned vector images (icons),

  • UI-friendly export and code workflows,

  • fast editing of consistent icon families.

It is available for Windows and macOS and integrates well with IconGenerator.

Open the selected icon in IconVectors

IconGenerator includes a dedicated IconVectors button in the toolbar.

Select an icon and click the IconVectors toolbar button

Select an icon in the list ①, then click the IconVectors button ② in the toolbar.

IconVectors opens the icon as SVG and it is ready for edition:

The icon opened in Axialis IconVectors, ready for editing

The icon opened in Axialis IconVectors.

Tip

If your icon set provides both large and small sizes, IconVectors opens two documents so you can edit both variants.

Managing edited icons

Rename or delete edited icons

Once you have custom icons, you can manage them using standard commands:

  • Edit ‣ Rename…

  • Edit ‣ Delete

You can also use collections to organize variants (see Working with Collections).

Locate edited files on disk

Edited icons are stored as SVG files in the user Documents folder:

Windows

C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Icons\

Tip

If you move IconGenerator to another computer, copy this folder too to keep your edited icons.

You can quickly open the containing folder using:

  • Edit ‣ View In Folder…

(When available, this command opens the folder where the selected icon SVG is stored.)