Icon buttons display actions that users can take. Icon buttons must use an icon with a clear meaning, and typically represent common or frequently used actions.

There are two types of icon buttons:

- **Default**: These buttons can open other elements, such as a menu or search.
- **Toggle**: These buttons can represent binary actions that can be toggled on or off, such as "favorite" or "bookmark".

![5 icon buttons with different icons (settings, more, etc). Some are filled, indicating selection, and some are outlined.](https://developer.android.com/static/develop/ui/compose/images/components/icon-buttons.png)**Figure 1.**Icon buttons, some of which are filled (indicating selection) and outlined.

## API surface

Use the[`IconButton`](https://developer.android.com/reference/kotlin/androidx/compose/material3/package-summary#IconButton(kotlin.Function0,androidx.compose.ui.Modifier,kotlin.Boolean,androidx.compose.material3.IconButtonColors,androidx.compose.foundation.interaction.MutableInteractionSource,kotlin.Function1))composable to implement standard icon buttons. To create different visual styles like filled, filled tonal, or outlined, use[`FilledIconButton`](https://developer.android.com/reference/kotlin/androidx/compose/material3/package-summary#FilledIconButton(kotlin.Function0,androidx.compose.material3.IconButtonShapes,androidx.compose.ui.Modifier,kotlin.Boolean,androidx.compose.material3.IconButtonColors,androidx.compose.foundation.interaction.MutableInteractionSource,kotlin.Function0)),[`FilledTonalIconButton`](https://developer.android.com/reference/kotlin/androidx/compose/material3/package-summary#FilledTonalIconButton(kotlin.Function0,androidx.compose.ui.Modifier,kotlin.Boolean,androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Shape,androidx.compose.material3.IconButtonColors,androidx.compose.foundation.interaction.MutableInteractionSource,kotlin.Function0)), and[`OutlinedIconButton`](https://developer.android.com/reference/kotlin/androidx/compose/material3/package-summary#OutlinedIconButton(kotlin.Function0,androidx.compose.material3.IconButtonShapes,androidx.compose.ui.Modifier,kotlin.Boolean,androidx.compose.material3.IconButtonColors,androidx.compose.foundation.BorderStroke,androidx.compose.foundation.interaction.MutableInteractionSource,kotlin.Function0)), respectively.

The key parameters for`IconButton`include:

- `onClick`: A lambda function that executes when the user taps the icon button.
- `enabled`: A boolean that controls the enabled state of the button. When`false`, the button does not respond to user input.
- `content`: The composable content inside the button, typically an`Icon`.

## Basic example: Toggle icon button

This example shows you how to implement a toggle icon button. A toggle icon button changes its appearance based on whether it's selected or unselected.

<br />

```kotlin
@Preview
@Composable
fun ToggleIconButtonExample() {
    // isToggled initial value should be read from a view model or persistent storage.
    var isToggled by rememberSaveable { mutableStateOf(false) }

    IconButton(
        onClick = { isToggled = !isToggled }
    ) {
        Icon(
            painter = if (isToggled) painterResource(R.drawable.favorite_filled) else painterResource(R.drawable.favorite),
            contentDescription = if (isToggled) "Selected icon button" else "Unselected icon button."
        )
    }
}https://github.com/android/snippets/blob/95aeebd507b29719a9e7d5a839f101bbbe42ea72/compose/snippets/src/main/java/com/example/compose/snippets/components/IconButton.kt#L44-L58
```

<br />

### Key points about the code

- The`ToggleIconButtonExample`composable defines a toggleable`IconButton`.
  - `mutableStateOf(false)`creates a`MutableState`object that holds a boolean value, initially`false`. This makes`isToggled`a state holder, meaning Compose recomposes the UI whenever its value changes.
  - `rememberSaveable`ensures the`isToggled`state persists across configuration changes, like screen rotation.
- The`onClick`lambda of the`IconButton`defines the button's behavior when clicked, toggling the state between`true`and`false`.
- The[`Icon`](https://developer.android.com/reference/kotlin/androidx/compose/material3/package-summary#Icon(androidx.compose.ui.graphics.painter.Painter,kotlin.String,androidx.compose.ui.Modifier,androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color))composable's`painter`parameter conditionally loads a different`painterResource`based on the`isToggled`state. This changes the visual appearance of the icon.
  - If`isToggled`is`true`, it loads the filled heart drawable.
  - If`isToggled`is`false`, it loads the outlined heart drawable.
- The`contentDescription`of the`Icon`also updates based on the`isToggled`state to provide appropriate accessibility information.

### Result

The following image shows the toggle icon button from the preceding snippet in its unselected state:
![A favorite toggle icon button (a heart) in its unselected state (unfilled).](https://developer.android.com/static/develop/ui/compose/images/components/icon-button-basic.png)**Figure 2.**A "favorite" toggle icon button in its unselected state.

## Advanced example: Repeated actions on press

This section demonstrates how to create icon buttons that continuously trigger an action while the user presses and holds them, rather than just triggering once per click.

<br />

```kotlin
@Composable
fun MomentaryIconButton(
    unselectedImage: Int,
    selectedImage: Int,
    contentDescription: String,
    modifier: Modifier = Modifier,
    stepDelay: Long = 100L, // Minimum value is 1L milliseconds.
    onClick: () -> Unit
) {
    val interactionSource = remember { MutableInteractionSource() }
    val isPressed by interactionSource.collectIsPressedAsState()
    val pressedListener by rememberUpdatedState(onClick)

    LaunchedEffect(isPressed) {
        while (isPressed) {
            delay(stepDelay.coerceIn(1L, Long.MAX_VALUE))
            pressedListener()
        }
    }

    IconButton(
        modifier = modifier,
        onClick = onClick,
        interactionSource = interactionSource
    ) {
        Icon(
            painter = if (isPressed) painterResource(id = selectedImage) else painterResource(id = unselectedImage),
            contentDescription = contentDescription,
        )
    }
}https://github.com/android/snippets/blob/95aeebd507b29719a9e7d5a839f101bbbe42ea72/compose/snippets/src/main/java/com/example/compose/snippets/components/IconButton.kt#L62-L92
```

<br />

### Key points about the code

- `MomentaryIconButton`takes an`unselectedImage: Int`, the drawable resource ID for the icon when the button is not pressed, and`selectedImage: Int`, the drawable resource ID for the icon when the button is pressed.
- It uses an`interactionSource`to specifically track "press" interactions from the user.
- `isPressed`is true when the button is actively being pressed and false otherwise. When`isPressed`is`true`, the`LaunchedEffect`enters a loop.
  - Inside this loop, it uses a`delay`(with`stepDelay`) to create pauses between triggering actions.`coerceIn`ensures the delay is at least 1ms to prevent infinite loops.
  - The`pressedListener`is invoked after each delay within the loop. This makes the action repeat.
- The`pressedListener`uses`rememberUpdatedState`to ensure that the`onClick`lambda (the action to perform) is always the most up-to-date from the latest composition.
- The`Icon`changes its displayed image based on whether the button is currently pressed or not.
  - If`isPressed`is true, the`selectedImage`is shown.
  - Otherwise, the`unselectedImage`is shown.

Next, use this`MomentaryIconButton`in an example. The following snippet demonstrates two icon buttons controlling a counter:

<br />

```kotlin
@Preview()
@Composable
fun MomentaryIconButtonExample() {
    var pressedCount by remember { mutableIntStateOf(0) }

    Row(
        modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
        verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically
    ) {
        MomentaryIconButton(
            unselectedImage = R.drawable.fast_rewind,
            selectedImage = R.drawable.fast_rewind_filled,
            stepDelay = 100L,
            onClick = { pressedCount -= 1 },
            contentDescription = "Decrease count button"
        )
        Spacer(modifier = Modifier)
        Text("advanced by $pressedCount frames")
        Spacer(modifier = Modifier)
        MomentaryIconButton(
            unselectedImage = R.drawable.fast_forward,
            selectedImage = R.drawable.fast_forward_filled,
            contentDescription = "Increase count button",
            stepDelay = 100L,
            onClick = { pressedCount += 1 }
        )
    }
}https://github.com/android/snippets/blob/95aeebd507b29719a9e7d5a839f101bbbe42ea72/compose/snippets/src/main/java/com/example/compose/snippets/components/IconButton.kt#L96-L123
```

<br />

### Key points about the code

- The`MomentaryIconButtonExample`composable displays a`Row`containing two`MomentaryIconButton`instances and a`Text`composable to build a UI for incrementing and decrementing a counter.
- It maintains a`pressedCount`mutable state variable using`remember`and`mutableIntStateOf`, initialized to 0. When`pressedCount`changes, any composables observing it (like the`Text`composable) recompose to reflect the new value.
- The first`MomentaryIconButton`decreases`pressedCount`when clicked or held.
- The second`MomentaryIconButton`increases`pressedCount`when clicked or held.
- Both buttons use a`stepDelay`of 100 milliseconds, meaning the`onClick`action repeats every 100ms while a button is held.

### Result

The following video shows the UI with the icon buttons and the counter:
**Figure 3**. A counter UI with two icon buttons (plus and minus) that increment and decrement the counter.

## Additional resources

- [Material 3 - Icon buttons](https://m3.material.io/components/icon-buttons/overview)