In WordPress, a favicon is called a Site Icon. The correct menu depends on your WordPress version and whether your active theme is a block theme or a classic theme. Use a square PNG that is at least 512×512 pixels, then follow the matching path: Settings > General on WordPress 6.5 and later, Appearance > Editor > Identity for block themes, or Appearance > Customize > Site Identity for classic themes and WordPress 4.3–6.4.
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What a favicon is called in WordPress
A favicon (short for “favorite icon”) is the small image associated with a website or web page. Visitors can see it in browser tabs and bookmarks, and on supported mobile-app shortcuts. WordPress labels this setting Site Icon, so searching your dashboard for a control named “Favicon” can make the feature seem missing even when it is available.
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Choose the right WordPress workflow
Check two things before opening a menu: your WordPress version and the architecture of the active theme. WordPress 6.5 introduced a Settings location for the Site Icon, while block themes expose identity controls in the Site Editor. Older installations and classic themes use the Customizer.
| Situation | Dashboard path | What to select | How to finish | Manual code required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress 6.5 or later | Settings > General | Choose a Site icon | Save the settings | No |
| Block theme using the Site Editor | Appearance > Editor > Identity | Site Icon | Save Site Editor changes | No |
| Classic theme, or WordPress 4.3–6.4 | Appearance > Customize > Site Identity | Select Image under Site Icon | Publish or Save & Publish | No |
The paths can overlap. For example, a site running a current WordPress release with a block theme may present identity controls in the Site Editor. If you cannot find the menu named in one procedure, identify the theme type first and then use that theme’s workflow.
Prepare the image before uploading
- Make the artwork square, with equal width and height.
- Use at least 512×512 pixels. This is WordPress.org’s stated minimum for a Site Icon.
- PNG is the recommended format in WordPress’s official guidance.
- Keep the subject legible at very small sizes. Fine text and thin details can disappear in a browser tab.
- Leave enough margin around the mark to prevent important edges being clipped if WordPress asks you to crop the image.
A larger square source is acceptable, but it does not remove the need to review the crop. If the source is rectangular, create a square version before uploading or use WordPress’s crop screen when it appears.
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Use this route when the dashboard includes the current General Settings control.
- Sign in to the WordPress dashboard.
- Open Settings > General.
- Find Site icon and click Choose a Site icon.
- In the media picker, select an existing square image from the Media Library or choose the upload option and add your prepared image.
- Confirm the image selection. If WordPress presents a crop step, keep the important artwork inside the square crop.
- Save the settings.
- Open the public site in a fresh browser tab and check the tab icon. A previously open tab can continue showing a cached icon.
The Site Icon setting is separate from the Site Title, Tagline, and Site Logo fields on the same general-settings screen. Changing the logo does not automatically change the browser icon unless you deliberately reuse that image.
Method 2: Block themes in the Site Editor
Block themes manage site-wide identity through the Site Editor instead of the classic Customizer.
- From the dashboard, open Appearance > Editor.
- In the Site Editor sidebar, select Identity.
- Locate Site Icon.
- Upload a square image of at least 512×512 pixels, or choose one already in the Media Library.
- Review the selected image and accept any crop prompt.
- Save the Site Editor changes. The icon is then available for browser tabs, bookmarks, and supported mobile-app uses.
If you see templates, styles, and navigation editing but no Customizer menu, that is a strong sign that the active theme is a block theme. Stay in the Site Editor rather than looking for Site Identity under Appearance > Customize.
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Classic themes expose the original Site Identity control in the Customizer.
- Open Appearance > Customize.
- Select Site Identity.
- Under Site Icon, click Select Image.
- Choose an image from the Media Library or upload the prepared square file.
- If WordPress asks you to crop the image, adjust the square crop so the mark remains recognizable.
- Click Publish or Save & Publish, depending on the wording shown by your installation.
- Visit the public site in a fresh tab to confirm the result.
WordPress Version 4.3 introduced the built-in Site Icon feature. Therefore, a 4.3–6.4 installation normally has this Customizer control unless the theme or a permission restriction changes what the account can access.
Using an existing Site Logo as the icon
You do not have to upload a second file when the logo is already suitable. In the Site Editor, the Site Logo block can offer Use as site icon. Selecting that option reuses the logo image for the Site Icon. Check the result at small size first: a wide wordmark may be readable in a header but too narrow or detailed for a browser tab. If it does not work at icon size, upload a dedicated square version instead.
What WordPress generates after you save
The built-in feature handles the icon metadata for you. WordPress core’s wp_site_icon() output includes links targeting several common display sizes:
| Target | Typical use |
|---|---|
| 32×32 | Favicon link used by common browser interfaces |
| 192×192 | Larger icon link used by supported browser and device contexts |
| 180×180 | Apple touch icon target |
| 270×270 | Microsoft tile image target |
These generated links are why the normal Site Icon workflow is preferable to hand-creating a favicon.ico file or editing a theme’s header files. The core output supplies the documented icon targets without requiring you to maintain theme code.
How to verify the icon
- Open the home page in a new browser tab rather than relying on an already open tab.
- Look at the tab next to the page title.
- Bookmark the site and check whether the bookmark uses the selected image.
- If you use a supported mobile shortcut or app-style bookmark, check that context separately; device behavior can vary.
- Return to the dashboard and confirm that the selected image is still shown in the Site Icon control if the public tab has not updated.
Verification should be done after the correct save action for your workflow: Save in General Settings, the Site Editor’s Save, or Publish/Save & Publish in the Customizer.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting a missing or unchanged favicon
The menu is not where the instructions say
- You are looking under Appearance > Customize on a block theme: open Appearance > Editor > Identity instead.
- You are looking under Settings > General on an older installation: use Appearance > Customize > Site Identity for WordPress 4.3–6.4.
- You do not know the version: check the version information in the dashboard, then select the matching procedure.
- You cannot access the relevant menu: verify that the account has permission to change site settings and that the intended theme is active.
The image will not upload or cannot be selected
- Confirm that the file is square and at least 512×512 pixels.
- Use a PNG when possible, as recommended by WordPress.org.
- Try uploading the file to the Media Library first, then select it from the Site Icon picker.
- If a crop screen appears, keep the complete mark inside the square selection and confirm the crop.
The icon still does not appear in a tab
- Confirm that you completed the save step for the workflow you used.
- Open the site in a fresh tab; the old tab may still show a cached icon.
- Check the Site Icon field again to make sure the intended image remains selected.
- Test another browser or a private window to distinguish a local cached display from a site-setting problem.
- Make sure you changed the Site Icon, not only the Site Logo. A logo can appear on the page while the browser identity remains unchanged.
The image looks wrong at small size
Replace a wide or text-heavy logo with a dedicated square mark. The Site Icon is displayed at tiny dimensions even though WordPress accepts a source of at least 512×512 pixels. Simplifying the artwork and preserving margin usually produces a clearer result than enlarging a detailed wordmark.
Do you need to create favicon.ico or edit theme files?
For a normal WordPress site, no. The built-in Site Icon feature introduced in WordPress 4.3 is the default approach. Selecting an image through General Settings, the Site Editor, or the Customizer lets WordPress emit the required icon metadata. Creating a root-level favicon.ico or inserting icon links into a theme is unnecessary for this standard use case and can create maintenance problems when the theme changes.
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Quick Recap
Site Icon versus Site Logo: a quick decision guide
| Question | Choose Site Icon when… | Choose Site Logo when… |
|---|---|---|
| Where should the image appear? | In browser tabs, bookmarks, or mobile-app contexts | Inside the page layout, such as a header |
| What shape is required? | Square, at least 512×512 pixels | Use the proportions appropriate for the header design |
| Which WordPress control? | Site Icon | Site Logo or Site Logo block |
| Can one file serve both? | Yes, if the logo remains recognizable as a square icon | Yes, when the same image works in the page layout |
Fast checklist
- Identify the WordPress version.
- Identify whether the active theme is block-based or classic.
- Prepare a square PNG at least 512×512 pixels.
- Open the matching Site Icon control.
- Choose or upload the image and complete the crop if prompted.
- Use the correct save action.
- Check the result in a fresh browser tab and distinguish it from the Site Logo.
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