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Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about React Icons.

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Installation & Setup

React Icons works with React 16.3 and higher (any version that supports Context API).
package.json
{
  "peerDependencies": {
    "react": "*"
  }
}
The library is compatible with React 16, 17, 18, and 19.
Yes! React Icons includes native TypeScript support with complete type definitions.No additional @types package is needed:
import { IconType } from "react-icons";
import { FaBeer } from "react-icons/fa";

type IconProps = {
  icon: IconType;
  size?: number;
};
See the TypeScript guide for more details.
Yes! React Icons works perfectly with Next.js (both Pages Router and App Router).
app/page.jsx
import { FaBeer } from "react-icons/fa";

export default function Home() {
  return <h1>Welcome <FaBeer /></h1>;
}
Tree-shaking works automatically with Next.js’s bundler.
Yes! React Icons works out of the box with Create React App.
import { FaBeer } from "react-icons/fa";

function App() {
  return <div><FaBeer /></div>;
}
No additional configuration needed.
Yes! React Icons works seamlessly with Vite:
import { FaBeer } from "react-icons/fa";
Vite’s built-in tree-shaking ensures optimal bundle sizes.

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Bundle Size & Performance

If you’re seeing a large bundle, you’re likely importing incorrectly:
// ❌ Wrong - imports entire library (~2MB)
import * as Icons from "react-icons/fa";

// ✅ Correct - only imports needed icons
import { FaBeer, FaCoffee } from "react-icons/fa";
See the Performance guide for optimization tips.
Each icon adds approximately 1-2 KB to your bundle:
  • 1 icon ≈ 1-2 KB
  • 10 icons ≈ 10-20 KB
  • 100 icons ≈ 100-200 KB
With proper tree-shaking, you only pay for what you use.
Yes! React Icons is designed for tree-shaking with ES6 modules.The package is configured with "sideEffects": false, enabling aggressive tree-shaking in modern bundlers.See the Tree-Shaking guide for details.
Generally, no. The @react-icons/all-files package is outdated and has not been updated recently.Use the main react-icons package instead:
npm install react-icons
It provides better tree-shaking and is actively maintained.
Yes! You can dynamically import icon modules:
import { lazy, Suspense } from "react";

const FaBeer = lazy(() => 
  import("react-icons/fa").then(module => ({ 
    default: module.FaBeer 
  }))
);

function App() {
  return (
    <Suspense fallback={<div>Loading...</div>}>
      <FaBeer />
    </Suspense>
  );
}
See Performance Optimization for more patterns.

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Usage & Customization

Use the size prop:
// As number (pixels)
<FaBeer size={24} />

// As string (any CSS unit)
<FaBeer size="2em" />
<FaBeer size="32px" />
<FaBeer size="2rem" />
Or set globally with IconContext:
<IconContext.Provider value={{ size: "2em" }}>
  <FaBeer /> {/* All icons are 2em */}
</IconContext.Provider>
Use the color prop or CSS:
// Via prop
<FaBeer color="red" />
<FaBeer color="#61DAFB" />

// Via CSS color inheritance
<div style={{ color: "blue" }}>
  <FaBeer /> {/* Inherits blue */}
</div>

// Via className
<FaBeer className="text-blue-500" />
Yes! Use the className prop:
<FaBeer className="my-icon-class" />
With Tailwind CSS:
<FaBeer className="text-blue-500 hover:text-blue-700 w-6 h-6" />
With IconContext for global classes:
<IconContext.Provider value={{ className: "global-icon-class" }}>
  <FaBeer />
</IconContext.Provider>
Use CSS or inline styles:
// With CSS
<FaBeer className="icon-hover" />

.icon-hover {
  transition: color 0.2s;
}
.icon-hover:hover {
  color: blue;
}
Or with inline styles:
const [hover, setHover] = useState(false);

<FaBeer
  onMouseEnter={() => setHover(true)}
  onMouseLeave={() => setHover(false)}
  style={{ color: hover ? "blue" : "black" }}
/>
Yes! Icons are SVG elements that can be animated:
// CSS animation
<FaBeer className="spin" />

@keyframes spin {
  from { transform: rotate(0deg); }
  to { transform: rotate(360deg); }
}

.spin {
  animation: spin 2s linear infinite;
}
Or use animation libraries like Framer Motion:
import { motion } from "framer-motion";

<motion.div
  animate={{ rotate: 360 }}
  transition={{ duration: 2, repeat: Infinity }}
>
  <FaBeer />
</motion.div>
Simply include them as children:
<button>
  <FaBeer /> Grab a beer
</button>

// Icon only button
<button aria-label="Grab a beer">
  <FaBeer />
</button>

// With Tailwind
<button className="flex items-center gap-2">
  <FaBeer /> Grab a beer
</button>

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Icon Libraries

It depends on your project:
  • Font Awesome - Most comprehensive, 2,000+ icons
  • Material Design - For Material UI projects, 4,000+ icons
  • Heroicons - For Tailwind CSS projects, clean design
  • Lucide - Modern, beautiful, 1,500+ icons
  • Bootstrap Icons - For Bootstrap projects, 2,700+ icons
See the Icon Libraries Overview for comparisons.
Yes! You can import from multiple libraries:
import { FaBeer } from "react-icons/fa";
import { MdHome } from "react-icons/md";
import { HiUser } from "react-icons/hi2";

function App() {
  return (
    <div>
      <FaBeer />
      <MdHome />
      <HiUser />
    </div>
  );
}
Each icon pack is independently tree-shakeable.
Visit the official React Icons website to search and browse all available icons.Icon names follow a pattern:
  • Prefix + icon name: FaBeer, MdHome, HiUser
  • Variants use suffixes: FaRegStar (regular), HiOutlineHome (outline)
Yes, the React Icons team regularly updates icon packs to their latest versions. Check the VERSIONS file for current versions.You can request updates by opening an issue on GitHub.
Yes! Start a discussion proposing the new icon pack.Include:
  • Icon pack name and website
  • License (must be open source)
  • Number of icons
  • Use case
See Adding Icon Sets for details.

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Server-Side Rendering (SSR)

Yes! React Icons works with all SSR frameworks:
  • Next.js (Pages & App Router)
  • Remix
  • Gatsby
  • Astro with React
Icons render as static SVG on the server.
No special configuration needed. Icons work in both Client and Server Components:
app/page.jsx
import { FaBeer } from "react-icons/fa";

export default function Page() {
  return <h1>Hello <FaBeer /></h1>;
}
If using IconContext, mark the component as a Client Component:
"use client";
import { IconContext } from "react-icons";

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Accessibility

Icons can be made accessible using the title prop:
// Decorative icon (hidden from screen readers)
<FaBeer aria-hidden="true" />

// Meaningful icon (announced to screen readers)
<FaBeer title="Beer" />

// Icon button
<button aria-label="Grab a beer">
  <FaBeer aria-hidden="true" />
</button>
See the Accessibility guide for best practices.
For interactive elements (buttons, links), use aria-label on the parent:
// ✅ Correct
<button aria-label="Delete">
  <FaTrash aria-hidden="true" />
</button>

// ❌ Wrong - aria-label on icon doesn't help
<button>
  <FaTrash aria-label="Delete" />
</button>

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Troubleshooting

Check that you:
  1. Installed the package: npm install react-icons
  2. Imported correctly: import { FaBeer } from "react-icons/fa"
  3. Used the correct icon name (case-sensitive)
Try a simple test:
import { FaBeer } from "react-icons/fa";

console.log(FaBeer); // Should be a function
Make sure you:
  1. Don’t have @types/react-icons installed (conflicts with native types)
  2. Are using a compatible TypeScript version (5.0+)
  3. Have correct imports
Remove conflicting types:
npm uninstall @types/react-icons
React Icons v3+ removed automatic vertical alignment. Add it back:
// Global
<IconContext.Provider value={{ style: { verticalAlign: 'middle' } }}>
  {children}
</IconContext.Provider>

// Per icon
<FaBeer style={{ verticalAlign: 'middle' }} />
See Migration from v2 to v3 for details.

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