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macOS icon sizes: the complete cheat sheet

Everything you need to ship a sharp Mac icon: the iconset files, what goes inside an .icns, Apple's grid and the commands to build it.

Updated 11 October 2026 · 5 minute read

Quick answer: design at 1024 × 1024 px. macOS uses five point sizes (16, 32, 128, 256 and 512), each at 1x and 2x, which makes ten PNGs from 16 px up to 1024 px. DockDoodle exports all of them in one click.

The 10 files in an .iconset

An .iconset is a folder of PNGs with exact filenames. Apple's iconutil turns it into an .icns file.

Filename	Pixels	Point size
`icon_16x16.png`	16 × 16	16 pt @1x
`icon_16x16@2x.png`	32 × 32	16 pt @2x
`icon_32x32.png`	32 × 32	32 pt @1x
`icon_32x32@2x.png`	64 × 64	32 pt @2x
`icon_128x128.png`	128 × 128	128 pt @1x
`icon_128x128@2x.png`	256 × 256	128 pt @2x
`icon_256x256.png`	256 × 256	256 pt @1x
`icon_256x256@2x.png`	512 × 512	256 pt @2x
`icon_512x512.png`	512 × 512	512 pt @1x
`icon_512x512@2x.png`	1024 × 1024	512 pt @2x

What's inside an .icns file

An .icns file packs those images into one file. Each image is stored under a four-letter type code:

Type	Pixels	Meaning
`icp4`	16	16 pt
`icp5`	32	32 pt
`ic11`	32	16 pt @2x
`ic12`	64	32 pt @2x
`ic07`	128	128 pt
`ic13`	256	128 pt @2x
`ic08`	256	256 pt
`ic14`	512	256 pt @2x
`ic09`	512	512 pt
`ic10`	1024	512 pt @2x

Apple's icon grid

Mac app icons aren't drawn edge to edge. On the 1024 × 1024 canvas, the visible icon is a rounded square of about 824 × 824 px, centred, which leaves roughly 100 px of transparent margin on every side. The corners aren't simple arcs. They're continuous curves (a squircle) with a radius of roughly 185 px, and the icon carries a soft shadow underneath.

That margin matters. Icons that skip it look oversized next to other apps, and on macOS Tahoe icons that break the shape can end up in a gray box (here's the fix). Turn on the grid button in the DockDoodle editor to see guide lines while you draw.

Build an .icns on a Mac with iconutil

Download All sizes from DockDoodle and unzip it. You get a folder called my-icon.iconset.
Open Terminal in that folder and run:

iconutil -c icns my-icon.iconset

To go the other way and unpack an existing icon into PNGs:

iconutil -c iconset AppIcon.icns

No Mac handy? The PNG to ICNS converter builds the file in your browser on any computer.

macOS Tahoe and Icon Composer

With macOS Tahoe 26 Apple introduced layered icons made in Icon Composer. They adapt to light, dark, clear and tinted appearances and give the Liquid Glass look. If you're shipping an app that targets macOS 26 or later, that's the format Apple recommends. A flat 1024 px PNG from DockDoodle makes a good starting layer.

Classic .icns files are still what you need for older macOS versions, for custom icons you set with Get Info, and for many cross-platform build tools.

Designing for small sizes

Check 16 and 32 px early. Fine lines and small text vanish. DockDoodle shows your icon at real sizes under the canvas.
One idea per icon. A single bold symbol on a gradient reads instantly in the Dock.
Keep contrast high. People use light and dark wallpapers, so test both. The Dock preview has a toggle.

Skip the busywork

Draw an icon and download the .iconset, .icns and PNG in one go.

Open the icon maker