Decorate with Icons & Emojis
Learn how to personalize your Notion pages by adding custom icons and cover images to improve visual organization and branding.
This guide shows you how to add icons and emojis to your Notion pages to enhance visual organization and create a more personalized workspace. Page icons appear in your sidebar, page headers, and when pages are shared or linked.
When to Use Page Icons
Page icons serve multiple purposes in Notion:
- Visual Organization: Quickly identify different page types in your sidebar and navigation
- Branding & Personalization: Create a cohesive visual identity for your workspace or team
- Professional Presentation: Make shared pages and presentations more visually appealing
Types of Icons Available
Notion offers several icon options:
- Emojis: Wide selection of colorful emoji icons built into the system
- Notion Icons: Minimalist line-art style icons designed specifically for Notion
- Custom Icons: Upload your own images, logos, or downloaded icons
How to Navigate to Icon Settings
To add icons to any page, you can access the icon picker from the page header. The icon option appears at the top of every page, either as text saying "Add icon" or as an existing icon you can click to change.
Locate the "Add icon" option at the top of your page and click it. This will open the icon selection menu where you can choose from various categories of icons and emojis.
Browse through the emoji collection and click on the emoji you want to use. In this example, we're selecting the fireworks emoji (🎆). The icon picker displays emojis organized by category, making it easy to find the perfect icon for your page content.
After selecting an emoji, the icon immediately appears at the top of your page and in the sidebar navigation. The icon picker will close automatically, and you can see how the icon enhances your page's visual appearance.
You can easily change your page icon at any time by clicking on the current icon and selecting a different emoji from the picker. Here we're switching to a flower bouquet emoji (💐) to match different content or aesthetic preferences.
The new icon is now applied to your page and visible in both the page header and sidebar navigation. This demonstrates how easy it is to customize and update your page's visual identity in Notion.
Advanced Icon Options
Beyond emojis, you can explore additional customization options:
- Upload Custom Images: Use company logos, brand elements, or personal images
- Notion's Icon Library: Professional line-art icons designed specifically for workspace organization
- Remove Icons: Click "Remove" in the icon picker to return to a text-only page header
Icons are automatically visible to anyone with access to your page and will appear when the page is shared via link or embedded in other locations.
Best Practices for Page Icons
- Consistency: Use similar icon styles across related pages for visual cohesion
- Meaningful Selection: Choose icons that relate to your page content for easier navigation
- Professional Context: Consider your audience when selecting emojis - professional workspaces may benefit from more subtle icon choices
Conclusion
Adding icons to your Notion pages is a simple way to enhance visual organization and create a more engaging workspace. Whether using emojis for personal projects or professional icons for team collaboration, page icons help users quickly identify and navigate to the content they need.
For additional page customization options, consider exploring Format Content with Blocks and Create Columns & Dividers to further enhance your pages' appearance and functionality.