App Icon Automator – Complete Step-by-Step Guide
One Icon. Every Platform.
App Icon Automator is an Unreal Engine editor plugin that turns a single square PNG into every application icon your project needs – Windows, Android, iOS, tvOS, macOS and Linux – and places each file exactly where Unreal Engine picks it up when you package your game. No external tools, no manual resizing, no hunting for the right folder.
Supported engine versions: Unreal Engine 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7 and 5.8
Editor platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Plugin type: Editor-only (nothing is added to your packaged game)
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STEP 1 – Install the plugin
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1. Open the Epic Games Launcher.
2. Go to Unreal Engine > Library > Fab Library.
3. Search for "App Icon Automator".
4. Click "Install to Engine" and choose your engine version.
5. Wait for the installation to finish.
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STEP 2 – Enable the plugin in your project
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1. Open your Unreal Engine project.
2. Go to Edit > Plugins.
3. Search for "App Icon Automator".
4. Tick the checkbox to enable it.
5. Click "Restart Now" when the editor asks.
After the restart, the plugin automatically creates this folder in your project:
<YourProject>/Service/Icon/
This is where your master icon lives.
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STEP 3 – Prepare your master icon
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Your master icon must be:
- A PNG file
- Perfectly square (for example 1024 x 1024 or 2048 x 2048)
- Ideally with a transparent background if your design needs one
Recommended resolution:
- 2048 x 2048 or larger – Excellent
- 1024 x 1024 to 2047 – Good
- Below 1024 – Low (the largest icons will be upscaled and may look soft)
Tip: The file name does not matter. "MyGameLogo.png" works just as well as "icon.png".
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STEP 4 – Place the master icon in the source folder
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1. Copy your PNG into:
<YourProject>/Service/Icon/
2. That's it. The plugin only ever reads this file – it never edits, moves, renames or deletes it.
Tip: You can open this folder directly from the plugin with the "Open Icon Folder" button.
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STEP 5 – Open App Icon Automator
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There are two ways to use the plugin. Both produce exactly the same result.
Option A – The panel (recommended for first use)
Go to Tools > App Icon Automator.
Option B – Project Settings
Go to Edit > Project Settings > Plugins > App Icon Automator.
The rest of this guide uses the panel first, then explains the Project Settings page.
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STEP 6 – Check your source icon
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At the top of the panel, the "Source Icon" section shows:
- A preview of your master image
- Source Folder – always Service/Icon/
- Source File – the PNG being used
- Resolution – for example 2048 x 2048
- Format – PNG
- Aspect Ratio – must say "Square"
- Quality – Excellent, Good or Low Resolution
If you just added or replaced the PNG, click "Refresh".
If you have more than one PNG in the folder:
A "Master Icon" dropdown appears. Choose which image to use. The plugin remembers your choice for this project, so you only need to pick it once.
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STEP 7 – Choose your platforms
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In the "Platforms" section, tick the platforms you want icons for:
- Windows
- Android
- iOS
- tvOS (off by default)
- macOS
- Linux
Use "Select All" or "Deselect All" to change them quickly. Hover over a platform to see exactly where its files will be written. Your selection is saved with the project.
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STEP 8 – Generate and apply the icons
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1. Click "Generate & Apply Icons".
2. Wait a moment – every size is resampled directly from your master image, so quality stays sharp.
3. The "Results" section appears and shows each platform with its status:
- Success (green) – all files were written and verified.
- Warning (yellow) – the essential files are fine, but something optional could not be written.
- Failed (red) – something went wrong. Check the message and the Output Log.
Every generated file is read back from disk and checked for the correct size and format before the plugin reports success.
"Regenerate All Icons" does the same thing and overwrites the previous icons. Use it whenever you update your master image.
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STEP 9 – Restart the editor to refresh the previews
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Unreal Engine caches the icon previews shown in Project Settings > Platforms. After generating, restart the editor so those previews show your new icons.
The icon files themselves are already correct on disk. The restart only refreshes the previews.
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STEP 10 – Package your game
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Package your project as usual (Platforms > [Your Platform] > Package Project).
Unreal Engine automatically picks up the generated icons. You don't need to set anything else in Project Settings.
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Where the icons are saved
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All files are written inside your project's Build folder:
Windows
Build/Windows/Application.ico
One .ico file containing 10 sizes: 16, 20, 24, 32, 40, 48, 64, 96, 128 and 256 px.
Android
Build/Android/res/drawable/icon.png (48 px)
Build/Android/res/drawable-ldpi/icon.png (36 px)
Build/Android/res/drawable-mdpi/icon.png (48 px)
Build/Android/res/drawable-hdpi/icon.png (72 px)
Build/Android/res/drawable-xhdpi/icon.png (96 px)
Build/Android/res/drawable-xxhdpi/icon.png (144 px)
Build/Android/res/drawable-xxxhdpi/icon.png (192 px)
iOS
Build/IOS/Resources/Graphics/
All 11 icon files Unreal Engine expects, including the 1024 px App Store icon.
tvOS
Build/TVOS/Resources/Graphics/
Top Shelf images and the Large, Medium and Small layered icons (Back, Middle, Front).
Also writes the iOS launch screen: Build/IOS/Resources/Graphics/LaunchScreenIOS.png
macOS
Build/Mac/Application.icns
Build/Mac/AppIcon.iconset/ (10 PNG files, usable with Xcode or iconutil)
Linux
Build/Linux/Application.png (256 px)
Build/Linux/Icons/ (16 to 1024 px desktop sizes)
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Using the Project Settings page
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Go to Edit > Project Settings > Plugins > App Icon Automator.
Source Icon
- Source Image – the master image currently in use, or the reason none can be used.
- Resolution – size and quality rating.
- Refresh – rescans the Service/Icon/ folder.
- Open Icon Folder – opens the folder in your file browser.
Platforms
Each platform has two buttons:
- Generate Icons – generates and applies icons for that platform only. A notification appears in the bottom-right corner with the result. When it succeeds, the notification includes a "Restart Editor" button.
- Delete – removes only the icons this plugin generated for that platform. Your master image is never touched, and you can regenerate at any time.
macOS Icon Preview
After you generate macOS icons, a preview of the icon inside Application.icns appears here.
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Good to know
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macOS preview on Windows and Linux
Project Settings > Platforms > Mac may show "Unsupported image format" for the game icon. This is normal. Unreal Engine can only preview .icns files on a Mac – its own default icon shows the same message. The generated file is valid, and the "macOS Icon Preview" row in the plugin settings shows you what it contains.
tvOS icons are placeholders
tvOS uses layered parallax icons and wide Top Shelf banners. The plugin centres your square icon on each canvas so the build works, but for a shipping tvOS title you'll probably want purpose-made artwork.
Your master image is safe
The plugin never edits, moves, renames or deletes anything inside Service/Icon/.
Source control
Commit both the Service/Icon/ folder and the generated files in the Build/ folder, so every team member and your build machine use the same icons.
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Troubleshooting
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"No source icon found"
There is no PNG in <YourProject>/Service/Icon/. Add one and click Refresh.
"Source icon must be square"
Your image has different width and height. Resize or crop it to a square in your image editor.
"Several images were found. Select which one is the master icon."
There is more than one PNG in the folder. Choose one from the "Master Icon" dropdown, or remove the extra files.
"Low Resolution – Some icons may require upscaling."
Your image is smaller than 1024 x 1024. It will still work, but large icons (such as the 1024 px iOS icon) may look soft. Use a bigger master image for best results.
"The source image could not be decoded"
The file is damaged or isn't really a PNG (for example a JPG renamed to .png). Re-export it as PNG.
A platform shows "Failed"
Open Window > Output Log and search for "LogAppIconAutomator". The log lists the exact file paths and the reason. The most common cause is a file locked by another program, or a Build folder that isn't writable.
Old icon still showing in Project Settings
Restart the editor. The previews are cached until the next restart.
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Support
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Have a question or found a bug? Contact us here:
https://gdydevelopment.blogspot.com/p/contact-form.html
Copyright © 2026 GDY Studio. All Rights Reserved.
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