To put an image in your website’s browser tab, add a favicon link inside the page’s <head>, then make sure its href points to an image the deployed site can serve. For example: <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico">. The browser-tab image is called a favicon. You can also offer PNG or SVG versions, provide a separate icon for iOS home screens, or declare icons for a progressive web app.
1. Add the favicon link to your page
Put a <link> element in the document’s <head>. The rel="icon" value tells the browser that the linked resource is the page icon; href supplies its URL or path.
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<title>Example site</title>
<link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico">
</head>
<body>
<h1>Example site</h1>
</body>
</html>The slash at the start of /favicon.ico makes the path root-relative: the browser requests the file from the root of the current domain. If the image instead lives in a folder, use its actual public path, such as /images/favicon.png. A path on your computer is not enough; the file must be deployed and reachable by visitors’ browsers.
Use a URL that resolves from the page
A root-relative path is convenient when the icon is hosted on the same site. A relative path such as favicon.ico is resolved relative to the page URL and can point somewhere unexpected on nested routes. For example, a page at /products/item may resolve that relative path differently than a page at the site root. Use a root-relative path when the asset is at the domain root, or write the correct path for the asset’s actual location.
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Put the element in the document head
Do not place the favicon declaration in the visible page body. It belongs in the <head> along with the document’s metadata and title. If your site renders pages through a framework or template, add it to the shared HTML head so it appears in the generated document. Confirm that the rendered page source contains the link; changing a component that does not affect the document head will not add a favicon.
2. Offer the formats and sizes you need
A single valid icon link is enough to get started. If you have several icon files, declare them individually with their format and dimensions. The type attribute describes the file format; sizes describes the dimensions represented by that file.
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon-16x16.png">
<link rel="icon" type="image/svg+xml" href="/favicon.svg">These declarations let the browser choose among the supplied icons. According to MDN’s rel reference, when multiple rel="icon" links are present, a browser uses their media, type, and sizes attributes to select the most appropriate option; if two options are equally appropriate, the last one is used. Declaring a format or size is useful only when the referenced file actually matches it.
ICO, PNG, and SVG
- ICO: Commonly used as
favicon.ico, and suitable for a simple default declaration. - PNG: Useful when you want to supply specific raster dimensions, such as separate 16-by-16 and 32-by-32 files.
- SVG: A scalable vector option. Declare it with
type="image/svg+xml"and link to the real SVG file.
You do not need to add every possible format. Choose files you actually host and declare them accurately. Avoid listing a file as a PNG if it is an SVG, or advertising sizes the image does not have; a browser cannot select or fetch an asset correctly on the basis of a misleading declaration.
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Optional media conditions
The icon link can also include a media condition. Browsers may use that condition along with type and sizes when choosing among icon links. For most sites, a short list of format-and-size declarations is easier to maintain than a complicated set of conditions. Add a condition only when you have a specific alternate icon and know when it should apply.
3. Add separate icons for iOS and installable web apps
A browser-tab favicon is not the same thing as an iOS home-screen icon or a progressive web app’s install icon. Those uses have their own declarations. Adding an ordinary favicon does not, by itself, create all of those other icons.
iPhone and iPad home-screen icon
For an iOS Web Clip (a website saved to the home screen), use rel="apple-touch-icon". For example:
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon-180x180.png">MDN notes that Apple’s iOS does not use the ordinary rel="icon" and sizes selection for a Web Clip; it uses the non-standard apple-touch-icon relation. Apple’s guide also documents using a site-wide PNG named apple-touch-icon.png in the root document folder. If you use the explicit link above, verify that the named file is deployed at that path.
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Progressive web app manifest icons
An installable web app can link a manifest from the document head:
<link rel="manifest" href="/app.webmanifest">The manifest can list icon objects using properties such as src, sizes, type, and purpose. Those are install-context icons; the manifest complements rather than replaces the page’s favicon declaration. Make sure both the manifest and its referenced images are published at paths that the browser can fetch.
4. Check the deployed page, not just your local files
A favicon can appear to be correctly configured in source code and still fail on the public site if the path is wrong, the file did not deploy, or the page’s generated head differs from the template you edited. Check the live page and the icon URL separately.
- Inspect the rendered HTML. View the deployed page’s source or inspect its document head. Confirm that the expected
<link rel="icon">appears there and that itshrefis the path you intended. - Open the icon URL directly. Visit the exact URL named in
href. It should return the intended image from the deployed site, not a missing-file response or an unrelated page. - Check the path from the page’s location. If the page is nested, verify whether the
hrefis root-relative or relative. For a file stored at the domain root,/favicon.pngavoids ambiguity about nested page URLs. - Confirm the declarations match the assets. Check that a PNG link points to a PNG, an SVG link points to an SVG, and each
sizesvalue describes the associated file. - Reload in a fresh context if an old icon remains. Browsers may retain a cached favicon after an update. Try a private or fresh browser context, or clear the site’s cached data, before concluding that the new link is broken.
MDN’s references explain the role of the <link> element and the selection behavior for multiple icon links. The practical deployment checks above address a different issue: whether the particular file and HTML you published are available at the URLs you declared.
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5. Common favicon problems and fixes
The icon does not appear at all
First open the href URL directly. If that does not show the intended image, fix the asset path or deployment. If it does, inspect the live HTML to confirm the link is in <head> and uses rel="icon". Also check whether the document is pointing to a different path than the one you tested manually.
The old icon remains after an update
This is often a cache issue rather than a failure to publish the new file. Test the page in a fresh or private context and clear the site’s cached data if needed. If you have changed the file but kept the same URL, make sure the updated asset itself is live before troubleshooting the markup further.
The favicon works on the home page but not on nested pages
Check for a relative URL such as favicon.ico. A relative path is interpreted from the current page’s URL, so it may resolve differently on a nested route. If the icon is at the domain root, use /favicon.ico; otherwise provide a correct root-relative or absolute public path to its actual location.
The tab icon is correct but the home-screen icon is not
The tab favicon and iOS Web Clip icon use separate relations. Add an apple-touch-icon link that points to the desired image, then confirm that image is deployed. For a PWA install icon, also check the manifest link and the icon paths inside the manifest.
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A browser chooses a different icon than expected
Review all of the page’s rel="icon" links and their media, type, and sizes attributes. They should describe the actual files. When multiple options are equally appropriate, MDN notes that the last listed icon is selected, so declaration order can matter in that case.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo does not add a favicon; it captures a web page so you can inspect the result after publishing your icon. If you want an API call rather than setting up a browser capture yourself, send a GET request to the ScreenshotNeo API. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation.
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Further reading
MDN Web Docs’ references explain the relevant HTML relationships and icon selection: the <link> element and the rel attribute. Apple documents site icons in its Safari Web Content guide. These reference links are provided for the specifications and platform behavior described above.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the small image in a browser tab called?
It is called a favicon.
Does adding a favicon automatically create an iPhone home-screen icon?
No. iOS Web Clips use a separate apple-touch-icon declaration.
Do I need a PWA manifest just to show a browser-tab icon?
No. A page can declare its favicon without a web app manifest; the manifest is for installable web-app metadata and icons.
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