How to Use Icons in PowerPoint, Word and Google Slides

By LinearAndLoom · 13 November 2026 · 3 min read

Insert free SVG icons into PowerPoint and Word, recolor them, and the right way to add icons to Google Slides and Docs, which do not accept SVG.

Icons make slides and documents easier to scan. A small picture next to each point helps people find their place faster than a wall of bullets. Here is how to add them in Microsoft Office and in Google's tools, which work differently.

PowerPoint: insert an SVG icon

This works in Microsoft 365 and Office 2019 or later, on Windows and Mac.

1. Download the icon as SVG.
2. In PowerPoint, go to Insert > Pictures > This Device (on Mac, Picture from File).
3. Choose the SVG file. It lands on the slide as a graphic.
4. Drag a corner to resize it. It stays sharp at any size.

Change the color in PowerPoint

Click the icon and open the Graphics Format tab.

• Solid icons: use Graphics Fill.
• Outline icons: use Graphics Outline. Outline icons are made of lines, so the fill setting does nothing to them. You can also change the line thickness here under Weight.

Edit parts of an icon

With the icon selected, click Convert to Shape on the Graphics Format tab. The icon becomes ordinary PowerPoint shapes that you can ungroup, recolor one by one or animate separately.

Word and Excel

The steps are the same: Insert > Pictures, pick the SVG, then use the Graphics Format tab to recolor it. In Word, set Wrap Text to In Line with Text to keep an icon beside a heading, or Square to move it freely.

Google Slides and Google Docs

Google Slides and Docs do not accept SVG files. Use a PNG instead:

1. On the icon page, choose your color first. A PNG cannot be recolored cleanly later.
2. Set the size to 512 or 1024 and press PNG. The background is transparent.
3. In Slides or Docs, go to Insert > Image > Upload from computer and choose the file.

A 512 pixel PNG stays sharp for normal icon sizes on a slide, even on a projector.

Older versions of Office

Office 2016 and earlier cannot insert SVG. Use the PNG route described for Google Slides.

Keynote and print layouts

If a program refuses the SVG, try the PDF button. The PDF is a vector file, so it also stays sharp when scaled.

Make icons look good on slides

• One style per deck. Do not mix outline and solid icons on the same slide.
• One size per row. Set the same height for every icon in a group. In PowerPoint, select them all and type a value under Shape Height.
• Match your text color. Icons in the same color as your headings look built in.
• Give them room. Leave space around each icon at least equal to half its width.

Icons that suit presentations

View all 27 free Business & Finance icons

View all 22 free Charts & Analytics icons

Questions

Why is the Graphics Format tab missing?

The tab only shows while an SVG graphic is selected, and only in Microsoft 365 or Office 2019 and later. If you inserted a PNG, you will see Picture Format instead, which cannot recolor the icon properly.

Can I use these icons in a client presentation or a template I sell?

Client and commercial presentations are fine. For templates, the icons may be part of your design, but you may not offer them as a stand-alone icon pack. See the license.

What is the best icon size for a slide?

Between 0.5 and 1 inch (about 1.3 to 2.5 cm) wide for icons beside text, and larger for a single icon that carries the slide.

Every icon on this site is free to download. If this guide helped, you can say thanks by buying a pack from the LinearAndLoom Etsy shop.