How do you get application icons for use on your StreamDeck?

Hardware Reviews
1

I’m wondering if there is a trick I don’t know about. When I have buttons on my StreamDeck to launch apps (say Safari), how do I get the application icon to use for that button?

I know I can use “Get Info” in Finder to see the icon for an application, but it does not appear that you can copy and paste to put that icon into StreamDeck. I also tried copying the icn file from the app’s resources and asking StreamDeck to use that file for the icon, but that does not work.

Certainly I could create a screen shot and save it, but that doesn’t seem the easiest approach. Perhaps I can copy the icon and paste it into Photoshop and save it in the right size?

I know that if I drag an app onto a button the StreamDeck configuration tool, it will often grab the icon (but not always; Notes.app does not seem to work this way), but if you create a multistep action that does not work.

It seems like there should be an easy way to do this…

2

I just try a search on the internet for the app name with “icon transparent png” as other terms. Some of the results are not transparent, but there is usually one that is. You can also use Instant Alpha in Keynote to help remove any unwanted background.

Hope this helps.

3

You can use Button Creator to use the icon copied from the Get Info panel.

  1. Copy the icon from Get Info.
  2. In Button Creator select “Image” in the “Foreground” section.
  3. Click on the “Image” square and paste.

Here is a button I made for iTerm2:

Screen Shot 2022-02-26 at 3.43.46 PM
Screen Shot 2022-02-26 at 3.43.46 PM1297×796 87.5 KB

The button is saved as a.png file, which can the be used with for the Stream Deck and elsewhere.

Note that you need not have a title and can adjust the background color as needed.

Good luck and have fun!

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4

If you use the open command and point to an App the icon will automatically load

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5

You can also extract app icons from the app bundle using Preview:

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6

Thank you all. Very helpful!

Of note, for reasons I have not been able to determine, the icon does not always load when using the Open tool in StreamDeck. This has been true, for example, for MS Outlook and for Notes.app, and for Mail.app when used as part of a multi step action.

I have been pasting into a Photoshop template I have for the size of StreamDeck icons, but will look towards the above instructions for extracting icons with Preview.

7

An easy solution that does not require any 3rd software or spelunking into the app bundle.

Step 1: Select the app that you want to get the icon from in Finder (usually /Applications/Whatever.app)

Step 2: Copy (⌘C will work)

Step 3: Open Preview app

Step 4: File » New from Clipboard

Step 5: Save as PNG

Step 6: Drag PNG to Stream Deck app window

Keyboard Maestro Macro

If you’d like a Keyboard Maestro macro that will do steps 2-5 for you, you can download mine here:

Add it to Keyboard Maestro and it should only be active in Finder.

Press CONTROL+C (not ⌘!) to trigger.

It will prompt you to make sure you already have an .app selected in Finder. You can easily disable the prompt if you choose.

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