What is a Favicon?

A favicon (favorite icon) is the small icon that appears in browser tabs, bookmarks, and browser history. While small, favicons are crucial for brand recognition and professionalism. They help users quickly identify your site among many open tabs and create a polished, complete web experience.

Required Favicon Sizes

Modern websites need multiple favicon sizes for different contexts:

Essential Sizes:

16x16 pixels - Browser tabs, most common use
32x32 pixels - Windows taskbar shortcut
48x48 pixels - Windows site icons

Apple Touch Icons:

180x180 pixels - iPhone/iPad home screen
152x152 pixels - iPad non-retina
120x120 pixels - iPhone retina

Android/Chrome:

192x192 pixels - Android home screen
512x512 pixels - Android splash screen

Best Formats for Favicons

ICO Format: Traditional format that can contain multiple sizes in one file. Still widely supported and necessary for older browsers.

PNG Format: Modern browsers support PNG favicons. Cleaner, simpler to create and manage.

SVG Format: Scalable vector format. Perfect quality at any size. Supported by most modern browsers.

Creating an Effective Favicon

1. Start Simple: At 16x16 pixels, complexity is lost. Use simple shapes and bold colors.

2. Use Your Logo (Simplified): If your logo is complex, use just an icon element or initial letter.

3. Ensure Contrast: The icon must be visible against both light and dark browser themes.

4. Test at Size: Design at large size, but always verify at actual 16x16 pixel display.

5. Consider Transparency: Use transparent backgrounds for clean appearance against any browser color.

Implementation

Add these lines to your HTML <head> section:

<link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/favicon.ico">

<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png">

<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/apple-touch-icon.png">

Common Mistakes

Using a full logo that becomes unrecognizable when small
Poor color contrast making the icon invisible
Forgetting Apple touch icons (appears as blank on iPhones)
Not testing across browsers and devices

Using Our ICO Converter

Use ImageResizer.site's Image Converter tool to convert any image to ICO format for favicons. Simply upload your square image, select ICO as output, and download. The tool automatically resizes to 32x32 pixels, perfect for favicon use.