Favicon Generator - Create Free Website Icons
Create professional favicons for your website instantly. Generate custom icons in all sizes (16x16 to 256x256). Free favicon maker with live preview and download options.
Customize Your Favicon
Design your favicon with custom text, colors, and styling
Use initials, letters, or symbols
Live Preview
Preview your favicon in different sizes
256x256 Preview
Text, Icons & Emojis
Choose from text (letters/initials), 30+ professional icons (Lucide), or 32 popular emojis for your favicon design.
Fully Customizable
Customize colors, sizes, fonts, border radius, and choose from color presets to match your brand identity perfectly.
All Sizes Included
Download in all 6 standard sizes (16-256px), PNG & ICO formats with live preview before downloading.
How to Add Favicon to Your Website
1. Download your favicon(s)
Generate and download the sizes you need (recommended: 32x32 and 180x180)
2. Upload to your website root
Place favicon files in your website's root directory or /public folder
3. Add HTML code to your <head> section
<!-- Standard favicon --> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon-16x16.png"> <!-- Apple Touch Icon --> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/favicon-180x180.png"> <!-- Android/Chrome --> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="192x192" href="/favicon-192x192.png">
How to Create Professional Favicons
Step-by-Step Guide
- 1Choose mode: Text (letters/initials), Icons (30+ professional icons), or Emoji (32 options)
- 2Choose background and text colors from presets or custom color picker
- 3Customize font family, size, and border radius to match your brand style
- 4Preview in real-time across all sizes (16px to 256px) and download
Design Best Practices
- Keep it simple: Single icons or 1-2 characters work best
- High contrast: Ensure text is clearly visible against background
- Brand colors: Match your website's color scheme for consistency
- Test at 16px: Make sure it's readable at the smallest size
- Avoid gradients: Solid colors work better at small sizes
When to Use Favicon Generator
New Website Launch
Create professional favicons when launching new websites, blogs, or web applications for instant brand recognition.
Rebranding Projects
Update favicons to match new brand identity, color schemes, and visual guidelines during rebranding.
Client Projects
Generate custom favicons for client websites with their branding, colors, and design preferences.
Personal Projects
Create unique favicons for personal websites, side projects, and experimental web applications.
E-commerce Stores
Build trust and recognition with branded favicons for online stores and shopping platforms.
Web Applications
Create app-style favicons for SaaS products, web apps, and progressive web applications (PWAs).
Complete Favicon Size Guide
| Size | Format | Usage | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16x16 | PNG, ICO | Classic browser tab icon | All browsers |
| 32x32 | PNG, ICO | Standard favicon, taskbar | Desktop browsers |
| 48x48 | PNG | Windows site icons | Windows |
| 64x64 | PNG | High-DPI displays, bookmarks | Retina displays |
| 128x128 | PNG | Chrome Web Store | Chrome apps |
| 180x180 | PNG | Apple Touch Icon | iOS Safari |
| 192x192 | PNG | Android home screen | Android Chrome |
| 256x256 | PNG | High-res displays, PWAs | Modern devices |
Technical Implementation & Code Examples
HTML Implementation
Add these tags to your HTML <head> section for complete favicon support:
<!-- Standard favicons --> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon-16x16.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="48x48" href="/favicon-48x48.png"> <!-- Apple Touch Icon (iOS) --> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon.png"> <!-- Android Chrome --> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="192x192" href="/android-chrome-192x192.png"> <!-- Legacy ICO --> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon.ico">
Web App Manifest (PWA)
For Progressive Web Apps, add to your manifest.json:
{
"name": "Your App Name",
"short_name": "App",
"icons": [
{
"src": "/favicon-192x192.png",
"sizes": "192x192",
"type": "image/png"
},
{
"src": "/favicon-512x512.png",
"sizes": "512x512",
"type": "image/png"
}
]
}Next.js Implementation
For Next.js projects, place favicons in /public and reference them:
// In your layout.tsx or _document.tsx
export const metadata = {
icons: {
icon: [
{ url: '/favicon-16x16.png', sizes: '16x16', type: 'image/png' },
{ url: '/favicon-32x32.png', sizes: '32x32', type: 'image/png' },
],
apple: '/apple-touch-icon.png',
},
}Frequently Asked Questions
What is a favicon and why do I need one?
A favicon (favorite icon) is a small icon displayed in browser tabs, bookmarks, and address bars that represents your website. It helps users quickly identify and find your site among many open tabs, creates brand recognition, makes your website look professional and trustworthy, improves user experience, and enhances bookmarking. Every professional website should have a favicon - it's one of the first things visitors notice and helps establish credibility and brand identity in a crowded digital space.
What sizes of favicons should I create?
For complete browser and device compatibility, create these essential sizes: 16x16 (classic browser tab icon), 32x32 (standard favicon.ico), 48x48 (Windows site icons), 64x64 (high-DPI displays), 180x180 (Apple Touch Icon for iOS), and 192x192 (Android Chrome). Modern websites typically need at least 32x32 for desktop browsers and 180x180 for mobile devices. Our generator creates all sizes simultaneously - download all at once for complete coverage across all platforms, browsers, and devices.
How do I add a favicon to my website?
After generating your favicon: (1) Download the sizes you need (we recommend all sizes for best compatibility), (2) Upload files to your website root directory (e.g., public/ or root folder), (3) Add HTML link tags in your <head> section: <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png">, (4) For favicon.ico, place it in root and add: <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon.ico">, (5) For Apple devices add: <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon.png">. Most modern frameworks like Next.js, React, WordPress automatically detect favicon.ico in the root directory.
What is the difference between PNG and ICO formats?
ICO (icon) format is the traditional Windows favicon format that can contain multiple sizes in one file, supported by all browsers including older Internet Explorer versions, and commonly named favicon.ico. PNG format offers better quality with transparency support, smaller individual file sizes, supports higher resolutions (up to 512x512), works perfectly in all modern browsers, and allows separate optimization per size. Modern best practice: use both formats - favicon.ico (32x32) for legacy compatibility and PNG files for modern browsers and mobile devices. Our generator creates both formats for complete compatibility.
Can I use emoji or symbols in my favicon?
Yes! You can use emoji (😀, 🚀, ✨), special characters (★, ♦, ©), symbols (→, ✓, ∞), letters, numbers, or any Unicode character in your favicon. Emoji work great for fun, modern websites and create instantly recognizable icons. Keep it simple - use 1-2 characters maximum for clarity at small sizes. Test across different operating systems as emoji rendering varies between Windows, Mac, and mobile devices. Simple symbols and letters generally work better at 16x16 size than complex emoji.
What colors work best for favicons?
Effective favicon colors include high contrast combinations (dark text on light background or vice versa), brand colors for consistency with your website, simple 2-3 color schemes avoiding gradients at small sizes, and colors that stand out in browser tabs. Recommended combinations: white on blue, black on yellow, white on red, dark blue on light blue, white on green. Avoid: similar colors, low contrast, complex gradients, more than 3 colors. Test your favicon against both light and dark browser themes. Ensure readability at 16x16 pixels - the smallest size users will see.
How do I test if my favicon is working correctly?
Test your favicon implementation by: (1) Clear browser cache (Ctrl+Shift+Delete) to remove old favicons, (2) Hard refresh your website (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R), (3) Check browser tab for the new icon, (4) Test in different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge), (5) Use online favicon checkers like realfavicongenerator.net/favicon_checker, (6) Test on mobile devices (iOS Safari, Android Chrome), (7) Verify bookmark shows correct icon, (8) Check browser history display. If favicon doesn't appear, verify file paths, check HTML link tags, ensure correct MIME types, and wait 24-48 hours for browser cache expiration.
Should I use letters, initials, or a logo in my favicon?
Best practices by website type: Personal websites work well with initials (2 letters maximum like "JD" or "AB"), company websites should use logo simplified for small size or company initials, e-commerce stores benefit from recognizable brand symbols or first letter, blogs work great with distinctive letters or simple icons, portfolios can use creative symbols or stylized initials, and apps should use simplified app icon. Keep designs simple - complex logos don't work at 16x16 pixels. Single bold letter often works better than detailed logo. Test readability at smallest size before finalizing.
What is the best file size for a favicon?
Optimal favicon file sizes: 16x16 PNG should be under 1KB, 32x32 PNG typically 1-2KB, 64x64 PNG around 2-3KB, 128x128 PNG approximately 3-5KB, 256x256 PNG usually 5-10KB, and favicon.ico (32x32) under 2KB. Smaller is better for website performance since favicons load on every page. Use simple designs with solid colors to minimize file size. Avoid unnecessary transparency in backgrounds. PNG-8 (256 colors) is usually sufficient and smaller than PNG-24. Our generator creates optimized files automatically. Total favicon package (all sizes) should ideally be under 20KB for best performance.
Do I need different favicons for mobile devices?
Yes, mobile devices use larger, higher-resolution icons: iOS Safari uses Apple Touch Icon (180x180 minimum, 192x192 recommended), Android Chrome uses 192x192 PNG for home screen icons, Windows Metro tiles use various sizes (144x144 common), and PWA (Progressive Web Apps) require 192x192 and 512x512 icons. Mobile icons appear on home screens, app switchers, and bookmarks where detail matters more than desktop browser tabs. Create higher resolution versions (180x180+) with more detail for mobile. Use our generator to create all sizes, then specify mobile-specific icons in your web app manifest.json and HTML meta tags for optimal mobile experience.
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