Troubleshooting

Common Pitfalls with React Icons & How to Avoid Them

A roundup of frequent mistakes developers make when using icons in React — and how to fix them.

9 min read

A roundup of frequent mistakes developers make when using icons in React — and how to fix them. Learn to avoid performance, accessibility, and design issues.

Icons are a vital part of user interface design. Whether it's a trash can symbolizing "delete," a magnifying glass for "search," or a checkmark for "success," icons provide quick visual cues that enhance usability and improve aesthetics. With the react-icons library, developers can easily integrate icon sets like Font Awesome, Material Icons, Feather, and more, all within their React projects.

But while using react-icons is relatively straightforward, many developers still fall into common traps that can hurt performance, accessibility, or maintainability. In this article, we'll highlight the most frequent mistakes made when using icons in React applications and explain how to avoid them effectively.

1. Importing Entire Icon Packs

❌ The Problem:

One of the most common mistakes is importing an entire icon library instead of importing individual icons. For example:

import { FaBeer } from 'react-icons/fa';

✅ This is correct.

But some developers mistakenly do:

import * as FaIcons from 'react-icons/fa';

Or even worse:

import 'react-icons/fa';

🚨 Why It's Bad:

  • This bloats your JavaScript bundle unnecessarily.
  • Performance takes a hit, especially on mobile and slow networks.
  • You load hundreds of icons even if you only use a few.

✅ How to Fix:

Always import only what you need. If you only need FaBeer, just import that one component:

import { FaBeer } from 'react-icons/fa';

For better optimization, consider using tools like Webpack Bundle Analyzer to audit your final bundle.

2. Ignoring Accessibility (a11y) Best Practices

❌ The Problem:

Many developers treat icons purely as decorative elements and skip over accessibility considerations. Icons without accessible labels can confuse users relying on screen readers.

🛑 Example:

<FaSearch />

A screen reader won't know what this icon represents.

✅ How to Fix:

If the icon is purely decorative, hide it from assistive technology:

<FaSearch aria-hidden="true" />

If the icon conveys meaning, provide a proper label or title:

<span role="img" aria-label="Search">
<FaSearch />
</span>

Or pair it with visible text:

<button>
<FaSearch aria-hidden="true" />
Search
</button>

Always consider using aria-label, role, and aria-hidden appropriately based on context.

3. Overusing Icons

❌ The Problem:

Adding too many icons can create clutter, confusion, and visual noise. Some developers overdecorate interfaces with icons for every single action.

😵 Effects:

  • Distracting user experience
  • Reduces focus on primary CTAs
  • Increases cognitive load

✅ How to Fix:

Use icons purposefully. Apply them where they:

  • Provide a recognizable visual cue
  • Replace or complement text (but never obscure meaning)
  • Improve UI comprehension (e.g., a trash icon for delete)

Ask: Would this icon help or distract?

4. Inconsistent Icon Sizes and Styles

❌ The Problem:

Mixing icons of different styles and sizes makes your UI look unpolished.

<FaTrash size={14} />
<MdDelete size={32} />

Combining Font Awesome with Material Icons without styling leads to inconsistency.

✅ How to Fix:

  • Pick one icon style family (e.g., only Font Awesome or only Feather).
  • Use consistent size props or manage icon size via CSS classes.
  • If needed, wrap your icons in a utility component that standardizes size and color.
const Icon = ({ children }) => (
<span style={{ fontSize: '20px', color: '#555' }}>{children}</span>
);
// Usage
<Icon><FaTrash /></Icon>

Or use IconContext:

import { IconContext } from 'react-icons';
<IconContext.Provider value={{ size: '20px', color: '#555' }}>
<FaTrash />
<FaEdit />
</IconContext.Provider>

This ensures consistency across your icon usage.

5. Poor Icon Placement and Spacing

❌ The Problem:

Icons too close to text or misaligned with buttons create a sloppy UI.

<button><FaDownload/>Download</button>

Without spacing, it feels cramped.

✅ How to Fix:

Use margin or padding for spacing:

<button>
<FaDownload style={{ marginRight: '8px' }} />
Download
</button>

Or use utility classes (e.g., Tailwind CSS):

<button className="flex items-center">
<FaDownload className="mr-2" />
Download
</button>

Align icons with text visually and spatially.

6. Using Icons Without Fallbacks or Loading States

❌ The Problem:

When icons fail to load (rare but possible with lazy loading or SSR), your UI could break or display weird artifacts.

✅ How to Fix:

  • Provide text alternatives.
  • Use a suspense fallback when loading icons dynamically.

Example using dynamic import:

const FaBeer = React.lazy(() => import('react-icons/fa').then(mod => ({ default: mod.FaBeer })));
<Suspense fallback={<span>🍺</span>}>
<FaBeer />
</Suspense>

This ensures that your app stays functional even when icons fail to load.

7. No Theming or Dynamic Styling

❌ The Problem:

Hardcoding icon colors and styles leads to poor maintainability and theming challenges.

<FaHeart style={{ color: 'red' }} />

What happens if you want dark mode? Or a color change?

✅ How to Fix:

  • Use CSS variables or themes.
  • Avoid inline styles for dynamic design systems.
.icon {
color: var(--primary-color);
}
<FaHeart className="icon" />

Or use styled-components / CSS Modules to theme icons consistently.

8. Failing to Reuse Icon Components

❌ The Problem:

You manually copy-paste icon usage all over your app without reusability.

✅ How to Fix:

Create reusable icon components:

// components/IconButton.js
const IconButton = ({ icon: Icon, label }) => (
<button className="icon-button">
<Icon aria-hidden="true" />
{label}
</button>
);

Use like this:

<IconButton icon={FaEdit} label="Edit" />

This reduces duplication and improves maintainability.

9. Not Organizing Icons in Project Structure

❌ The Problem:

Developers sometimes scatter icon usage across components with no central management.

✅ How to Fix:

Centralize icon imports in a single icons.js file:

// icons.js
export { FaTrash, FaEdit, FaPlus } from 'react-icons/fa';

You can also map icons to names:

export const ICONS = {
delete: FaTrash,
edit: FaEdit,
add: FaPlus,
}

This makes it easier to change or replace icons in bulk.

10. Not Using IconContext for Global Settings

❌ The Problem:

Manually specifying size, color, or className for every icon leads to repetition.

✅ How to Fix:

Wrap your app or section with IconContext.Provider:

import { IconContext } from 'react-icons';
<IconContext.Provider value={{ size: '1.25rem', color: '#333' }}>
<MyComponent />
</IconContext.Provider>

All child icons inherit the style, making updates easier and the code cleaner.

Conclusion

React Icons is a powerful and flexible library, but it's easy to misuse it in ways that hurt performance, accessibility, and design consistency. To summarize the best practices:

  • Import icons individually.
  • Consider accessibility every time.
  • Don't clutter your UI.
  • Use consistent sizing and styling.
  • Space and align icons properly.
  • Reuse icon components.
  • Centralize icon management.
  • Use context for theming and settings.

By avoiding these pitfalls and following the tips outlined above, you'll not only improve your UI's visual polish but also boost performance, accessibility, and maintainability across your React projects. Icons aren't just decoration — when used properly, they're UX power tools.