---
layout: page
title: "Customizing devices and services"
description: "Simple customization for devices and services in the frontend."
date: 2016-04-20 06:00
sidebar: true
comments: false
sharing: true
footer: true
---
By default, all of your devices will be visible and have a default icon determined by their domain. You can customize the look and feel of your front page by altering some of these parameters. This can be done by adding the following configuration inside the `homeassistant:` section.
Devices that you don't want to have visible can be hidden with `hidden`.
`entity_picture`entries, badges, `device_tracker` pictures, etc. can either be external URLs (e.g. `http://example.com/example.jpg`) or of the form `/local/filename.jpg`, where `/local` represents the directory `www` in the HASS configuration directory. You may have to create the `www` directory yourself as it is not made automatically.
You can also use `icon` and refer to any icon from [MaterialDesignIcons.com](http://MaterialDesignIcons.com).
For switches with an assumed state two buttons are shown (turn off, turn on) instead of a switch. By setting `assumed_state` to `false` you will get the default switch icon.
```yaml
# Example configuration.yaml entry
homeassistant:
# Add this to your existing configuration
# Only the `entity_id` is required. All other options are optional.
customize:
sensor.living_room_motion:
hidden: true
thermostat.family_roomfamily_room:
entity_picture: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12345/images/nest.jpg
friendly_name: Nest
switch.wemo_switch_1:
friendly_name: Toaster
entity_picture: /local/toaster.jpg
switch.wemo_switch_2:
friendly_name: Kitchen kettle
icon: mdi:kettle
switch.rfxtrx_switch:
assumed_state: false
```
### {% linkable_title Reloading customize %}
Home Assistant offers a service to reload the core configuration while Home Assistant is running called `homeassistant/reload_core_config`. This allows you to change your customize section and see it being applied without having to restart Home Assistant. To call this service, go to the 
service developer tools, select the service `homeassistant/reload_core_config` and click "Call Service".
New customize information will be applied the next time the state of the entity gets updated.
### [Next step: Setting up presence detection »](/getting-started/presence-detection/)