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To add the small favicon-like image shown in browser tabs, bookmarks, and some mobile app contexts, set WordPress’s Site Icon—not merely the page-level logo. Prepare a square image at least 512 × 512 pixels (PNG is the format recommended in WordPress’s current guide), then choose the settings route that matches your WordPress version and active theme.

WordPress 6.5 and newer generally use Settings > General. An activated block theme provides Appearance > Editor > Identity. Older installations and compatible classic themes use Appearance > Customize > Site Identity.

Choose the right WordPress route first

The menu you need depends on two things: your WordPress version and whether the active theme is a block theme. Do not keep looking for the Customizer if your site is using a block theme; that theme normally puts identity controls in the Site Editor instead.

Site condition Where to set the icon What to save
WordPress 6.5 or later Settings > General Complete the Site icon change in General Settings
Activated block theme Appearance > Editor > Identity Save the Site Editor change
WordPress 4.3–6.4 with a compatible classic theme Appearance > Customize > Site Identity Click Publish in the Customizer

WordPress’s official documentation says version 6.5 moved the site icon to General Settings. The Site Editor Identity panel is available only when a block theme is installed and activated. A theme, plugin, host customization, or later WordPress release can change the labels you see, so use the closest matching route rather than forcing a missing menu.

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Prepare the image before uploading

Meet the minimum dimensions

Use a square image that is at least 512 × 512 pixels. WordPress’s current guide recommends PNG for this purpose. A square canvas prevents the icon from being unexpectedly cropped when it is rendered at tiny sizes.

Design for a tiny display

  • Use a simple mark with strong contrast; fine text often becomes unreadable in a tab.
  • Leave enough padding that the main shape is not cut off by rounded or platform-specific masks.
  • Check that the artwork remains recognizable when reduced to a small square.

You can upload an image directly from the Site icon control or select one already in the Media Library. Setting a page logo alone does not automatically configure the Site Icon.

Add the icon in WordPress 6.5 or later

  1. Sign in to the WordPress administrator area.
  2. Open Settings > General.
  3. Find the Site icon control.
  4. Choose an image from the Media Library, or upload your prepared square image and select it.
  5. Complete the save action presented by that screen.

This is the current general route for WordPress 6.5 and newer. If you do not see the control, check the active theme: a block theme may expose the same setting through the Site Editor Identity panel described next.

Use the Site Editor with a block theme

The Identity menu is conditional: it appears only when a block theme is active. This is the route to use when Appearance > Customize is absent on a modern block-theme site.

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  1. Confirm that a block theme is installed and activated.
  2. Go to Appearance > Editor.
  3. Select Identity in the Site Editor sidebar.
  4. Under the Site Icon control, choose an existing Media Library image or upload a replacement.
  5. Save the Site Editor changes.

The Identity panel independently documents the same 512 × 512 pixel minimum. If the Identity item is missing, verify that the site really uses a block theme and that your account has permission to edit the site.

Use the Customizer with an older or classic-theme site

For WordPress 4.3 through 6.4, the documented path is the Customizer. A compatible classic theme must expose the relevant controls.

  1. Open Appearance > Customize.
  2. Choose Site Identity.
  3. Select Site Icon.
  4. Pick an image from the Media Library or upload your square image.
  5. Click Publish to apply the change.

The Customizer is theme-dependent and is generally hidden for block themes unless a plugin or theme specifically activates it. Therefore, a missing Customize menu is not by itself an installation error.

Site Icon and Site Logo are different settings

A Site Icon is the small identity image associated with the site. Browsers can show it in tabs and bookmarks, and operating systems or web apps may use it in shortcuts. A Site Logo is normally a page-level image rendered in the website layout.

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You may use the same artwork for both, but configuring the logo does not inherently set the icon. In a block theme, select the Site Logo block and turn on Use as site icon in its block settings when you want that logo image to become the Site Icon as well.

Save, then check the result without assuming a fixed update time

After saving, open the public site in a browser tab and inspect a bookmark or shortcut view where your browser displays site icons. The official setup instructions do not promise a universal propagation time, so do not treat an immediate change—or a delay—as proof that the setting failed.

  • Reopen the page in a private window to reduce the chance that an old locally cached icon is being displayed.
  • Check the site in a second browser or device if the first one still shows the previous image.
  • Confirm that you completed the final Save or Publish action; selecting an image without saving leaves the old setting in place.
  • Return to the same WordPress route and verify that the chosen image is still selected.

Troubleshoot the common failure modes

“I cannot find Site Identity”

First determine whether the site uses a block theme. With a block theme active, open Appearance > Editor > Identity. The Customizer is not normally the primary identity interface in that setup.

“Appearance > Customize is missing”

That can be expected for a block theme. Use the Site Editor route. On a classic theme, a plugin, theme setting, or host customization may have changed which menus are available; confirm the active theme and its supported controls.

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“The Site Icon control is missing from General Settings”

Check the WordPress version and theme type. WordPress 6.5 moved the control to General Settings, while a block theme can provide the Identity panel in the Site Editor. Also verify that you are editing the intended site and have administrative access.

“The image is rejected or looks cropped”

Use a square file that is at least 512 × 512 pixels, preferably PNG as recommended by WordPress. Re-export the artwork with a square canvas and adequate padding, then replace the selected image.

“The old icon still appears”

Make sure the change was saved or published, then test in a private window or another browser. Different browsers and devices can retain an earlier icon independently; the setup documentation does not specify a guaranteed refresh interval.

“My logo changed but the tab icon did not”

Logo and Site Icon settings are separate. Set the Site Icon explicitly, or, in the Site Logo block settings for a block theme, enable Use as site icon.

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Operational checklist before you finish

  • The image is square and at least 512 × 512 pixels.
  • PNG is used if you want to follow WordPress’s recommended format.
  • You selected the route that matches both your WordPress version and active theme.
  • The image appears in the Media Library or was uploaded through the picker.
  • You completed the route’s final Save or Publish action.
  • You distinguished the Site Icon from the Site Logo.
  • You checked the public site in a private window or a second browser when necessary.

Or skip the browser setup

If you need an automated screenshot of the finished site for a deployment check or documentation, ScreenshotNeo can capture the page through one HTTP request. It is a website screenshot API and MCP server; its clean-shot workflow accepts consent banners and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and each response reports the page verdict and billing status in headers.

After you have configured the WordPress icon, replace https://stripe.com below with your public site URL. The complete option list and response details are in the ScreenshotNeo documentation.

cURL

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

Python

import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

Node.js

const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);

ScreenshotNeo supports PNG, JPEG, WebP, and PDF output, plus full-page capture with lazy images loaded, CSS-selector element capture, device presets and custom viewports, retina scale, dark mode, custom CSS or JavaScript, click-before-capture actions, selector hiding, selector/delay/network-idle waits, request and resource blocking, custom headers, cookies, user agents, Authorization, timezone and geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, configurable-TTL caching, signed links, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, bulk capture for up to 100 URLs per call, a usage API, and an OpenAPI specification. Parameter names used by other screenshot APIs also work, which can simplify a migration.

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Final decision

Use Settings > General on WordPress 6.5+, Appearance > Editor > Identity with an activated block theme, or Appearance > Customize > Site Identity on a compatible older/classic setup. A square 512 × 512-or-larger PNG, an explicit save, and a separate check of the Site Icon setting are the essentials.

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