I'm developing a powerpoint add-in that requires a custom ribbon. In it, I plan on using some of the existing powerpoint ribbon icons/add-in commands and a few custom ones. The questions I have are: Where can I get all the existing ribbon icons in their different sizes?; and What tool / resource can I use to create custom icons that blend in with the existing design? This is my first add-in so I'm new to all this.

This GitHub page has all Microsoft's documentation for built-in icons: Office Fluent UI Command Identifiers Choose your target version for development, then download powerpointcontrols.xlsx. Please note that Microsoft Ribbon groups can't be modified. So if you want to replace Insert>Illustrations>Charts, you have to make up a new group that includes commands for the other icons in the same group: Shape, Icons, 3D Models, SmartArt and Charts. Creating icons that resemble the existing ones is more of an aesthetic exercise. I just use PhotoShop to make them, but almost any graphic editor can work.

You can find images listed as embedded resources in Office executable files. See a similar thread - Any idea where exactly ms office icons are stored ? for more information.

I'm Using addin named Office2013IconsGallery.xlam (you can Find it on the web) That is a Excel tool with all common icons in Office. then I look into PPS file to create XML menu. To understand how it works, you can use MS program CustomUIEditor And use lines to assignee mso icon or use your pictures in menu Inside customUI\customUI.xml file you have <customUI <ribbon><tabs><tab <group <button and in this group you can have parameter autoScale="true" or in button size="large" Regards

Creating an add-in that reuses existing PowerPoint ribbon icons & custom icons

AndreP 21

I'm developing a powerpoint add-in that requires a custom ribbon. In it, I plan on using some of the existing powerpoint ribbon icons/add-in commands and a few custom ones.

The questions I have are:

Where can I get all the existing ribbon icons in their different sizes?; and
What tool / resource can I use to create custom icons that blend in with the existing design?

This is my first add-in so I'm new to all this.

Accepted answer

John Korchok 5,121 Reputation points

2022-11-07T15:59:59.98+00:00

This GitHub page has all Microsoft's documentation for built-in icons: Office Fluent UI Command Identifiers

Choose your target version for development, then download powerpointcontrols.xlsx.

Please note that Microsoft Ribbon groups can't be modified. So if you want to replace Insert>Illustrations>Charts, you have to make up a new group that includes commands for the other icons in the same group: Shape, Icons, 3D Models, SmartArt and Charts.

Creating icons that resemble the existing ones is more of an aesthetic exercise. I just use PhotoShop to make them, but almost any graphic editor can work.
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AndreP 21 Reputation points

2022-11-08T04:56:44.447+00:00

Thanks for that. I separately came across the Office Fluent UI Command Identifiers, and they definitely help.

Would you know if I could modify any of the existing individual commands? I think the answer is no but wanted to be sure. For example, if I wanted the Fill Tool to only show a set range of colour options, I'm assuming I'll have to build my own command rather than tweaking the existing one.

John Korchok 5,121 Reputation points

2022-11-08T15:15:17.233+00:00

You can either use an existing command unmodified, or you can write a replacement with VBA. If you create a replacement command, you can reuse a Microsoft icon by using the imageMso parameter along with the command name from the Control ID workbook. Or you can create a new icon.

AndreP 21 Reputation points

2022-11-09T01:37:06.907+00:00

Excellent, the imageMso option is what I was after. Thanks!

The Font and Font Size selector is an interesting one as it doesn't function like a standard button. How would you go about creating one like that but features a replacement command. Specifically, let's say that I'd like it to only feature a small selection of custom fonts.

John Korchok 5,121 Reputation points

2022-11-09T15:54:12.857+00:00

Using the controls available in VBA, it's not always possible to exactly duplicate the Office interface. As examples, the font dropdown contains subsections for theme, recently used and all fonts. It can display the fonts in their typestyle and includes icons for cloud fonts and names of fonts in foreign scripts. All those features are more work or impossible to program in VBA.

For a subset of fonts to display, you would create an array of preferred font names, check that they are all actually installed, then populate the dropdown with the typeface names.

AndreP 21 Reputation points

2022-11-10T06:35:49.81+00:00

I'm actually developing the add-in using the JavaScript API for PowerPoint. Hence, given all the answers thus far, I'm thinking that to create a custom Font command add-in, I'm going to have to use the Fluent UI dropdown box and then create the code for the custom list of fonts to use.

For all the other ribbon icons, I could just use the imageMso's where I want to use the existing icon but custom functionality.

Hope that's right.
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2 additional answers

Eugene Astafiev 891 Reputation points

2022-11-07T12:14:01.533+00:00

You can find images listed as embedded resources in Office executable files. See a similar thread - Any idea where exactly ms office icons are stored ? for more information.
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AndreP 21 Reputation points

2022-11-08T04:58:01.127+00:00

That's interesting. I managed to find the file as an .exe but how do you read it so you can see all the individual icons used in the ribbon?

Eugene Astafiev 891 Reputation points

2022-11-09T14:09:39.463+00:00

That option is for getting built-in icons for using in your applications outside of Office. In Office add-ins you need to use the Fluent UI (aka Ribbon UI) with imageMso attributes.

AndreP 21 Reputation points

2022-11-10T06:26:02.293+00:00

Got it. Thanks!

Oskar Shon 866 Reputation points MVP

2022-11-10T08:18:35.27+00:00

That link showing only icons for Main Office programs, not custom Icons Gallery used in applications
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Oskar Shon 866 Reputation points MVP

2022-11-09T08:38:52.227+00:00

I'm Using addin named Office2013IconsGallery.xlam (you can Find it on the web)
That is a Excel tool with all common icons in Office.

then I look into PPS file to create XML menu. To understand how it works, you can use MS program CustomUIEditor
And use lines to assignee mso icon or use your pictures in menu

Inside customUI\customUI.xml file you have <customUI <ribbon><tabs><tab <group <button
and in this group you can have parameter autoScale="true"
or in button size="large"

Regards
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Oskar Shon 866 Reputation points MVP

2022-11-11T12:57:32.96+00:00

Anyway I create next version with searching by names. you can reed it there: galeria-ikon-imagemso

Regards

AndreP 21 Reputation points

2022-11-14T02:50:45.093+00:00

This is very useful. Do you have one for PowerPoint? Couldn't find it in the add-ins store.

Oskar Shon 866 Reputation points MVP

2022-11-14T07:57:20.347+00:00

That is universal package, actually run by Excel, but fit for every office solution.
I public that via my own web site (not use MS Store).

Regards

John Korchok 5,121 Reputation points

2022-11-17T02:08:46.667+00:00

Here's a PowerPoint version of the idMso and imageMso icon gallery. This is updated to show all icons in the current version of Microsoft 365 and Office 2021. It works in both Windows and macOS:

AndreP 21 Reputation points

2022-11-19T05:19:32.75+00:00

This is great, thanks!

As I'm using Office.js and the Javascript PowerPoint API, the structure of the manifest doesn't allow for using the imageMso syntax to reference these icons. It looks like I need to make a copy of the of these icons, host it separately and refer to it in the manifest for it to work.

Also, I've found the documentation on the Custom UI XML Markup used to implement UI customization as part of the Office Open XML File Formats and wondered how (if at all) this relates to using the manifest to create a PowerPoint add-in. For example, it's got example syntax to create different types of UI Elements which is ideal.

I just don't know if this can be used in combination with the standard manifest schema.
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Creating an add-in that reuses existing PowerPoint ribbon icons & custom icons

2 additional answers