---
layout: docs
title: Icon link
description: Quickly create stylized hyperlinks with Bootstrap Icons or other icons.
group: helpers
aliases: "/docs/5.3/icon-link/"
toc: true
added: 5.3
---

The icon link helper component modifies our default link styles to enhance their appearance and quickly align any pairing of icon and text. Alignment is set via inline flexbox styling and a default `gap` value. We stylize the underline with a custom offset and color. Icons are automatically sized to `1em` to best match their associated text's `font-size`.

Icon links assume [Bootstrap Icons](https://icons.getbootstrap.com) are being used, but you can use any icon or image you like.

{{< callout >}}
Icons used here are likely to be purely decorative, which means they should be hidden from assistive technologies using `aria-hidden="true"`, as we've done in our examples. For icons that are more than decorative, provide an appropriate text alternative via `alt` for `<img>` elements `role="img"` and `aria-label` for SVGs.
{{< /callout >}}

## Example

Take a regular `<a>` element, add `.icon-link`, and insert an icon on either the left or right of your link text. The icon is automatically sized, placed, and colored.

{{< example >}}
<a class="icon-link" href="#">
  <svg class="bi" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#box-seam"></use></svg>
  Icon link
</a>
{{< /example >}}

{{< example >}}
<a class="icon-link" href="#">
  Icon link
  <svg class="bi" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#arrow-right"></use></svg>
</a>
{{< /example >}}

## Style on hover

Add `.icon-link-hover` to move the icon to the right on hover.

{{< example >}}
<a class="icon-link icon-link-hover" href="#">
  Icon link
  <svg class="bi" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#arrow-right"></use></svg>
</a>
{{< /example >}}

Customize the hover `transform` by overriding the `--bs-icon-link-transform` CSS variable:

{{< example >}}
<a class="icon-link icon-link-hover" style="--bs-icon-link-transform: translate3d(0, -.125rem, 0);" href="#">
  <svg class="bi" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#clipboard"></use></svg>
  Icon link
</a>
{{< /example >}}

## Pairs with link utilities

Modify icon links with any of [our link utilities]({{< docsref "/utilities/link/" >}}) for modifying underline color and offset.

{{< example >}}
<a class="icon-link icon-link-hover link-success link-underline-success link-underline-opacity-25" href="#">
  Icon link
  <svg class="bi" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#arrow-right"></use></svg>
</a>
{{< /example >}}