Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsTo change your WordPress favicon, open the dashboard and set a new Site Icon. On a block theme, use Appearance → Editor → Identity → Site Icon. On a classic theme, use Appearance → Customize → Site Identity → Site Icon. Upload a square image of at least 512 × 512 pixels, then save or publish the change.
What WordPress calls a favicon
A favicon is the small image shown in a browser tab, bookmarks, search results, saved home-screen web apps and parts of the WordPress.com interface. WordPress uses the label Site Icon for this setting. “Favicon” and “site icon” mean the same website image in this context.
WordPress.com recommends a square image at least 512 × 512 pixels. A simple, high-contrast mark generally remains easier to recognize than a detailed wordmark when it is reduced to tab or bookmark size.
Check which theme interface you have
The correct menu depends on whether your active theme is a block theme or a classic theme. In the dashboard, open Appearance:
| What you see under Appearance | Theme type | Site-icon path | Where the change applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editor | Block theme | Appearance → Editor → Identity → Site Icon | The site-wide icon managed in the Site Editor |
| Customize | Classic theme | Appearance → Customize → Site Identity → Site Icon | The site-wide icon managed in the Customizer |
WordPress.org documents that “The Site Editor Identity menu is only available when you install and activate a Block theme on your site.” If you do not see one of these menu labels, confirm that you are editing the intended site and that your account can change theme settings. Labels can vary slightly by WordPress version, host, or theme.
Change the icon on a block theme
- Sign in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Go to Appearance → Editor. The presence of Editor indicates that the active theme uses the block-theme interface.
- In the Site Editor sidebar, select Identity.
- Choose Site Icon.
- Select an existing square image from the Media Library, or choose the upload option and add a new image.
- Review the selected image and click Save. The setting is not applied until you save.
If the editor opens on a template or navigation screen, use the Site Editor sidebar to return to Identity. Do not change the Site Logo block unless you also want to alter the visible branding in your header.
Change the icon on a classic theme
- Sign in to the WordPress dashboard.
- Go to Appearance → Customize. Seeing Customize rather than Editor usually means the active theme is classic.
- Open Site Identity.
- Select Site Icon, then choose an image from the Media Library or upload one.
- Click Publish or the equivalent save control in the Customizer.
Leave the Customizer only after the publish/save control confirms the change. Closing the panel without publishing leaves the previous icon active.
Site Logo and Site Icon are different
A Site Logo is a visible page element, commonly displayed in the header. A Site Icon is the small browser, bookmark and mobile-app image. Changing one does not automatically change the other.
The WordPress Site Logo block includes a Use as site icon option. Use it when the same mark should serve both jobs. A wide wordmark may be legible in a header but too detailed to read at favicon size, so a compact square symbol is usually the safer choice.
Prepare an image that works at small sizes
- Use a square canvas measuring at least 512 × 512 pixels.
- Keep the primary shape and contrast near the center so it remains recognizable when the browser displays it as a tiny tab image.
- Avoid fine text, thin lines and edge-to-edge details that disappear when reduced.
- Use the Media Library version you actually intend to keep; replacing a file later does not necessarily update an already selected Site Icon until you select and save again.
WordPress will generate or request the sizes needed by supported contexts. You do not need to create a separate browser-tab file when using the Site Icon control.
Confirm that the new icon is live
- Open the public homepage in a new browser tab.
- Look at the tab title area for the new icon.
- Open the page in a private/incognito window to reduce the chance that an old cached icon is being displayed.
- Check a bookmark or saved shortcut only after confirming the live page; existing bookmarks and home-screen shortcuts can retain the previous image until refreshed or recreated.
If the dashboard shows the new image but the public tab does not, first verify that you clicked Save in the Site Editor or Publish in the Customizer. Then test in a private window and clear any page, browser or CDN cache used by your site. A cache can continue serving an older icon even though the WordPress setting is correct.
Troubleshooting: menu, image and display problems
“I cannot find Site Identity”
Look at Appearance. If you have Editor, follow the block-theme path and open Identity inside the Site Editor. If you have Customize, use Site Identity there. The Customizer is generally not the primary interface for block themes.
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Confirm that a block theme is both installed and active. The Identity menu is available only with an active block theme. If the theme was recently switched, reload the dashboard and check the active theme before changing settings.
“The image is rejected or looks wrong”
Use a square image at least 512 × 512 pixels and try selecting it again from the Media Library. A non-square or very detailed source may look poorly cropped or unreadable at favicon size; prepare a simpler square version and save it.
“The old icon still appears in my tab”
Open the page in a private window, hard-refresh the tab, and check whether a caching layer is serving an older response. Test the homepage and another page separately. If the dashboard setting reverted, repeat the upload and save/publish step.
“My logo changed, but the browser icon did not”
The Site Logo and Site Icon are separate settings. Set the Site Icon directly, or enable Use as site icon in the Site Logo block if the same image should be used for both.
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Existing home-screen shortcuts may retain their previously saved image. Remove and recreate the shortcut after confirming that the public page displays the new Site Icon. Browser tabs and bookmarks can likewise keep cached artwork for a while.
Verify the finished page without building a browser script
If you need an image of the page for a release checklist, documentation or a regression record, you can capture the public URL after saving the Site Icon. ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server. It accepts consent banners before capture and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups and chat widgets; bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and billing result.
Or skip the browser setup
Use one GET request to capture the page after your WordPress change. The API can return PNG, JPEG or WebP (and can create PDFs) and supports full-page capture, device presets, custom viewports, waiting for a selector or network idle, custom CSS and JavaScript, cookies and headers, and other capture controls. See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for the parameter list.
cURL
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://freedom251.com -o shot.webpPython
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://freedom251.com"}, timeout=90)
r.raise_for_status()
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://freedom251.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${res.status}`);
const fs = await import('node:fs/promises');
await fs.writeFile('shot.webp', Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer()));ScreenshotNeo also provides an MCP server with take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients. Its Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month without a card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots, with every feature available on every plan. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account to try the capture.
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FAQ
Can I use the same image for the header logo and favicon?
Yes. In the Site Logo block, enable Use as site icon, but check that the mark remains recognizable when reduced to a square icon.
Does changing the Site Icon alter page content or the site logo?
No. It changes the small identity image used by browsers, bookmarks, search results and saved app shortcuts; the visible logo is controlled separately.
Why is my change visible only after opening a private window?
That usually indicates cached browser, page or CDN content. The WordPress setting may already be correct; clear or bypass the relevant cache and reload the public page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the same image for the header logo and favicon?
Yes. In the Site Logo block, enable Use as site icon, but check that the mark remains recognizable when reduced to a square icon.
Does changing the Site Icon alter page content or the site logo?
No. It changes the small identity image used by browsers, bookmarks, search results and saved app shortcuts; the visible logo is controlled separately.
Why is my change visible only after opening a private window?
That usually indicates cached browser, page or CDN content. The WordPress setting may already be correct; clear or bypass the relevant cache and reload the public page.
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