Which favicon files you actually need
A favicon set in 2026 is small. favicon.ico (with 16, 32 and 48 px inside) covers every browser, including old ones and the ones that request /favicon.ico without being told. 32 × 32 and 16 × 16 PNGs are what modern browsers pick for tabs. apple-touch-icon.png (180 × 180) is used when someone adds your site to an iPhone home screen. The 192 and 512 px icons plus site.webmanifest cover Android home screens and installable web apps.
This generator makes all of them in one ZIP, together with the few lines of HTML that point browsers at them.
Design for 16 pixels
A favicon is shown at 16 × 16 pixels in a browser tab — smaller than a single letter of this sentence. Fine detail, thin lines and small text vanish at that size. The icons that work are simple: one bold letter, a single symbol, or the most recognisable part of your logo, on a solid background. If your full logo is wide, use just its mark or first letter.
Check the tab preview here: if you can't tell what it is at 16 px, simplify it.
Installing your favicon
Unzip the files into the root of your website (the same folder as your home page), then paste the HTML snippet inside the <head> of every page — most site builders and themes have a single place for this. Browsers cache favicons aggressively, so if you're replacing an old one, open the site in a private window to see the new icon straight away.