Microsoft updates or refreshed the icon images for their software and services every so often to keep them looking fresh and current with modern icon styling. I was recently tipped off by a tweet from Kasun Rajapakse that the Azure Preview Portal (at https://preview.portal.azure.com) has a whole host of new Azure Icons on display. This is a public preview of the Azure Portal, so I suggest you go check it out. I went to check it out, there is definitely a preview currently of new Azure icons.

Here’s a screenshot of the Azure Preview Portal with the new icons being used:

Azure Preview Portal with new Azure icons

For reference, here’s a screenshot of the existing GA Azure Portal (https://portal.azure.com) with the existing icons; as of the time of writing this article anyway.

Azure Portal with existing Azure Icons

You can certainly see some differences in the styling and design of the new Azure icons that are in Preview. Below is a side-by-side comparison of a few of the icons that better shows off the difference in style between the two. Once big difference you’ll notice is the use of brighter colors, and the use of gradients as well.

Personally, I think some of the existing icon designs still look good. For example, I like the design of the existing Azure Functions icon more. However, some of the icons, like the new Resource Groups icon has a more modern feel to it. Only time will tell how many of the new Preview Azure Icons make their way to GA, and whether there’s new design yet unreleased.

You may have noticed some more subtle changes to the Azure Portal UI / UX in recent time. It’s nice to see the Azure Portal undergoing revisions to keep it up with the modern standards of web design. A refreshing update to the Azure icons will be a really nice addition to this too.

I don’t know when / if the new Preview Azure Icons will go GA and show up in the GA Azure Portal, but I do look forward to this refreshing change. I know I’ll be keeping my eye on the Azure Portal over the coming days and weeks to see when these updated icons finally get released.

For reference, here is Kasun Rajapakse’s original tweet that tipped me off that there are new preview Azure icons in the Azure Preview Portal. Thanks Kasun!

What do you think of the new Azure Icons Preview? Please post a comment and tell us your opinions.

Article Author

Chris Pietschmann Chris is the Founder of Build5Nines.com and a Microsoft MVP in Azure & IoT with 20 years of experience designing and building Cloud & Enterprise systems. He is also a Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect, developer, Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), and Cloud Advocate. He has a passion for technology and sharing what he learns with others to help enable them to learn faster and be more productive.