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Favicon generator

Text or emoji favicons in every size, with the HTML and manifest.

How to use it

  1. Pick letters or an emoji. One to three characters. A single letter reads best at 16 pixels.
  2. Choose colors and shape. Background, text color, font weight, and square, rounded or circle.
  3. Download and paste. Save each PNG and the .ico, then copy the link tags and manifest into your site.

The favicon files a site needs in 2026

You do not need twenty icon sizes. A modern set is small:

  • favicon.ico (16, 32 and 48 px inside one file): the fallback every browser and crawler asks for at /favicon.ico. Google Search shows your favicon next to results and needs it to be at least 48 px.
  • favicon-32x32.png and favicon-16x16.png: crisp tab icons.
  • apple-touch-icon.png (180 px): used when someone adds your site to an iPhone home screen. iOS adds its own rounded corners, so square art is fine.
  • android-chrome-192x192.png and 512x512.png: listed in site.webmanifest for Android home screens and install prompts.

The generator makes all six PNGs and packs the three small ones into a real multi-size .ico file, built in your browser.

Designing for 16 pixels

At tab size you have about 16 × 16 dots. Wordmarks and detailed logos turn to mush. What works:

  • One letter or one emoji. Two letters can work in bold; three is pushing it.
  • Bold weight so strokes survive the downscale.
  • Strong contrast between text and background. Check it in a dark-mode browser tab too.
  • A filled shape. A solid background stands out in a row of tabs better than transparent art.

Installing it

Put the files in your site's root folder, then paste the link tags into the <head> of every page and save the manifest as /site.webmanifest. Browsers cache favicons hard; if you do not see the change, open the icon URL directly or try a private window.

Pair it with a matching share image from the OG image generator and check the result with the Open Graph checker.

What you get

  • 16, 32, 48, 180, 192 and 512 px PNGs
  • Multi-size favicon.ico built in the browser
  • Square, rounded or circle backgrounds
  • HTML link tags and site.webmanifest snippet
  • Letters in Instrument Sans or Serif, or any emoji

Questions

What size should a favicon be?

Provide a 48 × 48 favicon.ico (with 16 and 32 inside), a 180 px apple-touch-icon and 192 and 512 px PNGs in your web manifest. Google Search needs a favicon of at least 48 px.

Do I still need a favicon.ico file?

Yes. Browsers, RSS readers and crawlers request /favicon.ico by default, even when you list PNG icons. It is the one file worth always having.

Can I use an emoji as a favicon?

Yes. Type the emoji into the text field. It is drawn with your device's emoji font, so it will look like the Apple, Google or Microsoft version depending on where you generate it.

Why is my new favicon not showing?

Browsers cache favicons aggressively. Hard refresh, open /favicon.ico directly, or check in a private window. Google Search can take weeks to pick up a new icon.