Every day brings a new learning opportunity in Apple platform development, especially with Xcode. In the latest Xcode 26, Apple quietly removed the “Show Library” button, which used to be accessible by clicking the “+” icon on the right side of the navigation bar. I found myself wondering: How do I access the Library now? Has it been removed entirely? No, Apple wouldn’t make such a blunder. Luckily, the Library is still there, tucked away in the “View” menu under View > Show Library, or via the handy shortcut Command + Shift + L (⌘⇧L).

Accessing SF Symbols from View menu

My “Aha” Moment with SF Symbols

With the Library open and while exploring its features, I noticed that SF Symbols are directly accessible inside Xcode. All these years I’ve been using the standalone SF Symbols app to look up icons, and only today did I realize they’ve been right here the whole time. That’s the beauty of programming. Even after building apps for 10 years, there’s always something new to learn. It keeps me humble and eager to explore and share more.

SF Symbols

What is SF Symbols?

For those unfamiliar, SF Symbols 7 offers over 6,900 scalable, customizable icons that integrate seamlessly with the San Francisco system font. They’re vector-based, meaning they look sharp at any size, and support various styles like monochrome, hierarchical, palette, or multicolor, plus animations and weights.

How to access and use SF Symbols in your Xcode project

  1. Switch to the Symbols tab (the square-in-circle icon).
  2. Search by keywords (e.g., “heart” or “gear”) for instant previews and variants.
  3. Drag them into your project or copy system names for code like Image(systemName: "heart.fill").

Keep Exploring

These small discoveries remind us that even seasoned devs have room to grow. If you have had similar “today’s years old” moments in Xcode, share them in the comments! See you in the next blog. Happy coding!

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