How can I add to the existing Calendar icons?

To add custom icons to your Calendar in Microsoft Outlook, you can use an add-in to specify the icons you want to use. This involves creating a form region manifest XML file where you can define the icons under the icons element. You can specify custom icons for different states of calendar items, and if you want to use an icon that is not included by default, you can load it from an icon file or resource file.

Here are the steps to add custom icons:

1. Implement the FormRegionStartup interface in your add-in. This interface allows Outlook to obtain layout storage data for a form region.
2. In the form region manifest XML file, specify the child elements under the icons element where you want to use custom icons. You can either provide a file path to an icon file or specify addin if you want the add-in to inform Outlook which icon to display.

For example, you can define a telephone icon in your XML file like this:

<icons>
 <telephone>c:\icons\TelephoneIcon.ico</telephone>
</icons>

This would allow you to see a telephone icon in your calendar alongside other icons.

If you want to explore more about how to implement this, you can look into the documentation regarding extending form regions with add-ins.

That answer was more for a developer. I am just a simple user and need some simple way to add each icon or a group of icons. Is anything like this available? Are there sets of icons I could add easily?

Hi Ann Caradonna,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum! have a good day and I hope you're doing well!

I completely understand the need for more icons to quickly label calls and appointments in Calenda. It really helps keep the schedule clear and visual.

Just to confirm: are you referring to the “Charm” option like the one shown in my screenshot?

If yes, based on my research, you can currently use only the built‑in Microsoft charms to mark calls, meetings, tasks, etc. There isn’t a way to create or add custom charms yet, and there aren’t official add-ins that expand the charm set.

Microsoft actively listens to customer feedback. If this matches what you’re asking for, please share your request on the Microsoft Feedback Portal:

• Go to https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/
• Search for “charms”
• Upvote similar suggestions or create a new one (e.g., “Allow custom calendar charms”)

Tip (workaround): if you need icons beyond the available charms, you can add an emoji to the event title. It displays well across devices.

I hope this helps. If I misunderstood anything, or if you need more detailed guidance, or if you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

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