WordPress Favicon: What are They and How to Add a Favicon to WordPress

Hello, fellow WordPress enthusiasts! If you’re an agency or developer working with WordPress, you know that the little details can make a big difference. One such detail is the WordPress favicon—that tiny icon that represents a website in browser tabs, bookmarks, and more. 

In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about WordPress favicons: what they are, why they’re important, and how to add or change them. Let’s dive in!

What is a WordPress Favicon?

A WordPress favicon is a small image file (usually 16×16 pixels or 32×32 pixels) that represents your website. It’s the tiny icon you see in browser tabs, bookmarks, and mobile device home screens. 

For example, InstaWP’s favicon looks like this: 

Favicons in WordPress play a crucial role in enhancing your website’s brand identity and improving user experience. They make it easier for visitors to identify your site among multiple tabs, navigate between pages, and find your website in their bookmarks.

A WordPress favicon appears in multiple locations, including:

• Browser Tabs – It sits next to the page title, making it easy to identify a website when multiple tabs are open.
• Bookmarks (Favorites) List – When users bookmark your site, the favicon appears alongside the saved link for quick recognition.
• Mobile Shortcuts – When someone saves your site to their home screen, the favicon becomes the app-like icon for easy access.
• Browser History – When users revisit their browsing history, the favicon helps them visually locate your site.

Why is a WordPress Favicon Important?

Have you ever wondered how easy it is to identify Google, YouTube, or Facebook in a sea of open tabs—thanks to their unique favicons. Without one, your WordPress site might look generic or harder to find among other open pages.

Here are some pointers that will help you understand the importance of WordPress favicon and why you should learn about ‘how to add a favicon to WordPress’. 

Brand Recognition: A well-designed WordPress favicon instantly reinforces your brand identity. When users see your unique icon, they immediately recognize your website.

Professionalism: If you add a favicon to WordPress, you add a touch of professionalism and polish to your website. They signal attention to detail and create a positive first impression.

Improved User Experience: Favicons in WordPress enhance website navigation and usability. They help users quickly identify and switch between tabs, making it easier to find the information they need.

Mobile Optimization: WordPress favicons are essential for mobile devices. They become the app icon when users add your website to their mobile home screen, providing a seamless mobile experience.

Specifications & Best Practices for Adding WordPress Favicons

If you want WordPress favicon to add the best possible value to your client’s site, you must learn what works best when it comes to design specifications and implementation practices. 

WordPress Favicon Size: What Works Best?

The standard WordPress favicon size for browsers is 16×16 pixels, but modern applications and devices require larger versions. WordPress itself recommends a 512×512 pixel image, ensuring it scales well across different platforms.

Common favicon sizes & where they’re used:

• 16×16 pixels – Standard browser tab icons
• 24×24 pixels – Pinned site icon in Internet Explorer 9
• 72×72 pixels – iPad home screen icon
• 128×128 pixels – Chrome Web Store icon
• 195×195 pixels – Opera Speed Dial

Pro Tip for Agencies: Instead of manually creating multiple versions, use an SVG or high-resolution PNG file and let WordPress handle the rest. It ensures your favicon looks crisp across all devices.

Best Favicon Formats for WordPress

Choosing the correct favicon format is crucial for browser support and display quality.

ICO (Windows Icon File) – The oldest format, still required for Internet Explorer. It supports multiple sizes within a single file.

PNG (Recommended for WordPress) – Best choice for most browsers. It’s lightweight, transparent, and supported by all modern browsers.

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) – Fully scalable without losing quality, but only supported by Opera for favicons.

And, if you don’t want all your efforts in designing and adding favicon to WordPress to go in vain, avoid designing WordPress favicon in formats like:

GIF & APNG – While they support animation, they can be distracting and are rarely used in favicons.
JPG – No transparency support and lower quality.

How to Improve the Value of WordPress Favicon

When designing a favicon for your WordPress client sites, strategic design choices can make a significant difference in brand visibility and recognition. Let’s break it down into key factors:

1. Identity: Make Your Brand Instantly Recognizable

The main purpose of a favicon is to make your brand easily identifiable at a glance. Choose a design that reflects the core identity of the business, whether it’s a mini version of the logo, initials, or an iconic symbol representing the company. 

The favicon should match your client’s overall branding—ensuring uniformity across websites, social media, and marketing materials.

For example, if your client runs a digital marketing agency, consider using a simplified version of their logo or an initial (e.g., ‘DM’ in bold typography) for instant brand recall.

2. Simplicity: Less Is More

Since favicons are tiny (16×16 pixels or larger), keeping the design simple ensures better visibility. Adding too much detail makes the icon hard to recognize, especially on mobile devices. Stick to geometric shapes, clean fonts, or strong initials for better legibility.

3. Colors: Use High Contrast for Instant Recognition

Look at the favicons of well-known brands like Netflix (red and white) or NBC (multicolor peacock)—their color contrast makes them instantly recognizable.
If your client’s brand has a distinctive color scheme, incorporate it into the favicon to reinforce brand recognition. 

Using too many shades can make the favicon look cluttered or hard to identify in small sizes. So, keep things minimalistic. 

How to Add a Favicon in WordPress

Adding a favicon to your WordPress site is a straightforward process and you can accomplish it in multiple ways

Follow the above-said favicon design practices to design a WordPress favicon. 

Method 1: Add the Favicon via WordPress Customizer

Once the WordPress favicon is ready, follow these steps to add it to the WordPress site. 

Log in to your WordPress dashboard.

Navigate to Appearance > Customize

In the Customizer menu, click on Site Identity. Upload the favicon design and click on publish. 

Crop if necessary (WordPress will offer cropping tools).

Method 2: Add the Favicon via the WordPress Favicon Generator 

If you prefer advanced features and customization while adding a favicon to WordPress, you can WordPress favicon generators. 

Go to WordPress Dashboard>Plugins>Add New. 

Search for an ideal WordPress favicon generator of your choice. 

Click on Install > Activate. 

Follow the plugin instructions to upload and set your favicon. These plugins may generate favicons in multiple sizes for better compatibility, providing you with more freedom. 

Method 3: Add the Favicon by Editing the header.php File 

If you’re a coding lover, you can add a favicon to a WordPress site by editing the header.php file of your current theme. 

Go to WordPress Dashboard > Appearance > Theme Editor. 

Access the header.php file and add this code: 

<link rel=”icon” href=”https://www.yourdomain.com/favicon.ico” type=”image/x-icon” >

 <link rel=”shortcut icon” href=”https://www.yourdomain.com/favicon.ico” type=”image/x-icon” />

Also, replace “your domain” with your site’s domain name and ensure that the WordPress favicon is uploaded to the webspace as well. 

How to Change a WordPress Favicon

At times, you need to change your WordPress favicon and this process is as simple as adding one. You can use the same methods to change a WordPress favicon.

Reasons Why Your WordPress Favicon Isn’t Showing Up

Experiencing issues with your WordPress favicon not showing up? You’re not alone. This is a common hiccup that both beginners and seasoned developers encounter. 

Let’s explore the possible reasons why your favicon might not be displaying and how to resolve them.

Browser Cache Issues

Browsers often cache favicons to improve load times. If you’ve recently changed or added a favicon, your browser might still be displaying the old or default one.

Solution: Clear your browser cache or perform a hard refresh by pressing Ctrl + F5 (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac).

Website Caching Plugins

If you’re using caching plugins, they might serve cached versions without the updated favicon.

Solution: Purge or clear your website cache from the plugin’s settings dashboard.

Incorrect File Format or Size

Favicons should be in formats like .ico, .png, or .svg. An unsupported format may prevent it from displaying. While WordPress recommends a 512×512 pixels image, ensuring you have multiple sizes can help with compatibility.

Solution: Verify that your favicon is in a supported format and consider using a favicon generator to create appropriate sizes.

Improper Upload or Configuration

The favicon might not have been properly uploaded or set within WordPress, resulting in a broken favicon. 

Solution:

• Go to Appearance > Customize > Site Identity.
• Ensure your favicon is correctly uploaded under Site Icon.
• Save and publish your changes.

Theme Overrides

Some WordPress themes have their own settings for favicons, which might override the default WordPress settings.

Solution: Check your theme’s documentation or settings panel and try to upload the favicon directly through the theme options if available.

CDN Caching Issues

If you’re using a CDN, it might be caching your old favicon.

Solution: Purge the cache from your CDN dashboard to ensure the new favicon is served.

Missing or Incorrect HTML Code

If you’ve manually added favicon code to your header.php or via a plugin, errors in the code can prevent the favicon from showing.

Solution: Double-check the favicon link tags in your site’s header for accuracy. The correct HTML code looks like:

<link rel="icon" href="https://yourwebsite.com/path-to-favicon.ico" sizes="32x32" />

SSL/HTTPS Mixed Content Issues

If your site runs on HTTPS but the favicon is linked using HTTP, browsers might block it.

Solution: Ensure all favicon links use HTTPS.

File Permission Errors

Incorrect file permissions on your favicon file can prevent it from being accessed.

Solution: Set appropriate permissions (typically 644) for your favicon files via FTP or your hosting control panel.

Delay in DNS Propagation

If you’ve recently moved your site or updated DNS settings, there might be a delay.

Solution: Wait for DNS changes to propagate, which can take up to 48 hours.

Plugin Conflicts

Some plugins might conflict with how favicons are displayed, leading to the issue- WordPress favicons are not visible. 

Solution: Temporarily disable plugins to identify if one is causing the issue. In addition, you can clone your site, create favicon over there, and check the plugin compactiblitiy.

Browser Compatibility

If you’re accessing WordPress sites in older browsers then you may have to deal with the issue as they may not support modern favicon formats like SVG.

Solution: Use standard favicon formats and sizes, and test your site on multiple browsers.

Encountering a missing favicon can be frustrating, but with systematic troubleshooting, you can identify and fix the issue promptly. Remember, the favicon is a small yet significant part of your site’s branding and professionalism. Ensuring it displays correctly enhances user experience and reflects attention to detail.

If you continue to face issues, consider reaching out to the WordPress community forums or consulting with other developers who might offer insights specific to your setup.

What are Recent Trends in Web Design Related to WordPress Favicons?

WordPress favicons have evolved beyond mere small icons in the browser tab; they now play a significant role in modern web design trends. 

Let’s explore the latest developments related to favicons that are shaping the web experience:

1. Adaptive and Theme-Aware Favicons

With the rise of WordPress dark mode and theme switching in operating systems and browsers, WordPress favicons are becoming theme-aware:

• Dynamic Favicons: Developers are creating multiple versions of favicons to match light and dark themes.
• Implementation: Using media queries or JavaScript to swap favicons based on the user’s theme preference.

2. SVG Favicons for Scalability

The adoption of SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) favicons in WordPress is on the rise as SVGs maintain quality at any size, perfect for high-resolution displays.

In addition, SVG WordPress favicons are of small sizes, improving load times. You can convert traditional WordPress favicons to SVG favicons by replacing traditional .ico files with .svg in your favicon links.

3. High-Resolution and Retina Favicons

As devices with Retina and high-DPI displays become the norm, there’s a trend toward using larger favicon sizes. Hence, you must generate favicons in multiple resolutions to cover all device requirements.

4. Animated Favicons for Engagement

Some websites are incorporating animated WordPress favicons to enhance user engagement. They are useful for notifications and show progress during background tasks. 

You can design animated WordPress favicons by utilizing JavaScript to swap favicon images in a sequence.

5. Integration with Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

Favicons are critical in the context of Progressive Web Apps:

• App Icons: Favicons double as app icons when users install PWAs on their devices.
• Spec Requirements: PWAs require icons in specific sizes and formats declared in the manifest.json file.

Impact: Enhances the seamless feel of web apps behaving like native apps.

6. Contextual and Interactive Favicons

Websites are experimenting with contextual WordPress favicons that change based on user interaction

7. Brand Consistency and Minimalism

There’s a move towards simplified and minimalist favicon designs. Simplified icons are more recognizable in small sizes and across different platforms.

Conclusion

Adding and managing a favicon in WordPress is a small task with a big impact. For agencies and developers, it’s an essential step in delivering a polished, professional website. Not only does a WordPress favicon enhance brand recognition and user experience, but it also showcases your attention to detail—something clients will undoubtedly appreciate.

FAQs