The MFT_BITMAP or MF_BITMAP flag tells Windows to use a bitmap rather than a text string to display a menu item. A menu item's MFT_BITMAP or MF_BITMAP flag must be set at run time; you cannot set it in the resource-definition file.
For new applications, you can use the SetMenuItemInfo or InsertMenuItem function to set the MFT_BITMAP type flag. To change a menu item from a text item to a bitmap item, use SetMenuItemInfo. To add a new bitmap item to a menu, use the InsertMenuItem function.
Applications written for earlier versions of Windows can continue to use the ModifyMenu, InsertMenu, or AppendMenu functions to set the MF_BITMAP flag. To change a menu item from a text string item to a bitmap item, use ModifyMenu. To add a new bitmap item to a menu, use the MF_BITMAP flag with the InsertMenu or AppendMenu function.