Favicon Generator
100% private — runs on your device, never uploaded. Works offline once loaded.
Generate a complete favicon set — a multi-size favicon.ico plus 16, 32, 48, 180, 192 and 512px PNGs — from any image. Everything runs locally in your browser, downloaded as a ZIP.
What a Favicon File Actually Contains
A favicon isn't one image — it's usually a small family of them. The classic .ico format is a container that can pack several bitmaps of different sizes (commonly 16×16, 32×32 and 48×48) into a single file, so the browser or operating system can pull out whichever resolution fits the spot it needs: a tiny tab icon, a slightly bigger bookmark-bar icon, or a crisp taskbar shortcut.
Modern platforms go further than the old .ico standard. iOS wants a 180×180 PNG for home-screen shortcuts, and Android/Chrome PWA installs look for 192×192 and 512×512 PNGs referenced in a web app manifest. This tool generates all of those sizes at once from a single source image, plus the multi-size favicon.ico, and packages them into a ZIP.
Why a Single Small Icon Isn't Enough
If you only ever export one 32px PNG, it will look fine in a browser tab but noticeably soft or blurry when iOS or Android upscale it to a home-screen icon. Each context expects its own pixel-accurate size rather than a stretched copy of a smaller one.
- 16px — browser tab
- 32px — bookmark bar / desktop shortcut
- 48px — Windows taskbar pin
- 180px — Apple touch icon (iOS home screen)
- 192px / 512px — Android and PWA manifest icons
Designing an Icon That Survives Shrinking to 16px
Most logos are designed to be read at business-card size, not at 16 pixels square. Thin strokes, gradients and small text simply vanish at that scale, leaving a muddy smear. Favicons work best as one or two bold shapes with strong contrast against the background — a monogram letter, a simple mark, or a silhouette rather than a full wordmark.
Because every favicon size is square, start from a square (or near-square) source image; the tool centers and crops non-square uploads automatically, so plan your composition with that in mind rather than relying on a wide banner logo.
Putting the Files on Your Site
Drop favicon.ico in your site's root directory and most browsers will find it automatically without any HTML changes. For the PNG sizes and PWA support, add explicit <link rel="icon"> and <link rel="apple-touch-icon"> tags in your page head, and reference the 192/512 PNGs from a manifest.json's icons array. One thing to plan for: browsers cache favicons aggressively, sometimes for weeks, so after replacing one you may need to rename the file or hard-refresh to see the change reflected.
Frequently asked questions
What is in the download?
A ZIP with favicon.ico (16/32/48px) plus individual PNGs at 16, 32, 48, 180 (Apple touch), 192 and 512px for web app manifests.
Are my images uploaded?
No — everything is generated on your device and your image stays private.
Does the generated favicon support transparency?
Yes — if your source PNG has a transparent background, that transparency carries through to both the ICO and PNG outputs, so the icon blends into any browser theme instead of showing a white box.
Do I really need every size, or just favicon.ico?
Modern desktop browsers technically only require favicon.ico, but Apple and Android ignore it for home-screen icons and look for the dedicated PNG sizes instead — include the full set if you want it to look sharp everywhere, not just in a browser tab.
Why does my site still show the old icon after I replace it?
Browsers cache favicons very aggressively, sometimes across sessions. Clear the site data, hard-refresh, or rename the file (e.g. favicon-v2.ico) and update the reference to force a fresh fetch.
Can I upload a rectangular logo instead of a square one?
Yes, the tool will center-crop it to a square before generating every size, but for the best result crop it yourself first so the important part of the mark stays inside the crop.
What's the actual difference between favicon.ico and the PNG icons?
The .ico format dates back to early Windows/IE and can bundle multiple resolutions in one file for legacy compatibility, while the individual PNGs are what modern mobile home screens, PWAs and manifest files expect — you generally want both.
Will the 192px and 512px PNGs work for a PWA install icon?
Yes, those two sizes match what the web app manifest specification expects in its icons array, so they'll display correctly when a user installs your site as an app.
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