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# Legacy customizations

Customize appearance information directly on the tab bar object.

## Discussion

In iOS 13 and later, customize your tab bar using the [`standardAppearance`](/documentation/UIKit/UITabBar/standardAppearance) property. You may also continue to use these legacy accessors to customize your tab bar’s appearance directly.

## Topics

### Setting the bar’s style

[`var barStyle: UIBarStyle`](/documentation/UIKit/UITabBar/barStyle)

The tab bar style that specifies its appearance.

[`enum UIBarStyle`](/documentation/UIKit/UIBarStyle)

Defines the stylistic appearance of different types of views.

### Configuring tab bar items

[`var tintColor: UIColor!`](/documentation/UIKit/UITabBar/tintColor)

The tint color to apply to the tab bar items.

### Customizing item spacing

[`var itemPositioning: UITabBar.ItemPositioning`](/documentation/UIKit/UITabBar/itemPositioning-swift.property)

The positioning scheme for the tab bar items in the tab bar.

[`enum ItemPositioning`](/documentation/UIKit/UITabBar/ItemPositioning-swift.enum)

Constants that specify tab bar item positioning.

[`var itemSpacing: CGFloat`](/documentation/UIKit/UITabBar/itemSpacing)

The amount of space (in points) to use between tab bar items.

[`var itemWidth: CGFloat`](/documentation/UIKit/UITabBar/itemWidth)

The width (in points) of tab bar items.

### Configuring selection appearance

[`var unselectedItemTintColor: UIColor?`](/documentation/UIKit/UITabBar/unselectedItemTintColor)

The tint color to apply to unselected tabs.

[`var selectionIndicatorImage: UIImage?`](/documentation/UIKit/UITabBar/selectionIndicatorImage)

The image to use for the selection indicator.

[`var selectedImageTintColor: UIColor?`](/documentation/UIKit/UITabBar/selectedImageTintColor)

The tint color applied to the selected tab bar item.

### Changing the background

[`var barTintColor: UIColor?`](/documentation/UIKit/UITabBar/barTintColor)

The tint color to apply to the tab bar background.

[`var backgroundImage: UIImage?`](/documentation/UIKit/UITabBar/backgroundImage)

The custom background image for the tab bar.

### Adding a shadow

[`var shadowImage: UIImage?`](/documentation/UIKit/UITabBar/shadowImage)

The shadow image to use for the tab bar.


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