How to Add & Change Favicon in WordPress: Complete 2025 Guide

WordPress makes adding favicons incredibly easy through its built-in site icon feature. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about WordPress favicons, including installation, troubleshooting, and advanced customization.

Quick Method: WordPress Customizer

The simplest way to add a favicon to WordPress uses the built-in Customizer:

1. Access the Customizer: Log into your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Appearance → Customize

2. Find Site Identity: Click on "Site Identity" in the left sidebar. This section controls your site title, tagline, and favicon.

3. Upload Site Icon: Scroll down to the "Site Icon" section and click "Select site icon"

4. Choose Your Image: Upload a new image or select one from your Media Library. WordPress recommends a minimum size of 512x512 pixels for best results across all devices.

5. Crop if Needed: WordPress will show a cropping tool. Adjust to ensure your icon looks good as a square.

6. Publish Changes: Click the blue "Publish" button to make your favicon live

Your favicon now appears in browser tabs, bookmarks, and when users add your site to their mobile home screen. WordPress automatically generates all necessary sizes from your uploaded image.

What Size Should Your WordPress Favicon Be?

WordPress requests a 512x512 pixel square image for the site icon. This might seem large for a tiny favicon, but there's a good reason:

Automatic Resizing: WordPress creates multiple versions from your 512x512 source:

• 16x16 for browser tabs
• 32x32 for retina displays
• 180x180 for Apple touch icons
• 192x192 for Android devices
• 270x270 for Windows tiles

Highest Quality: Starting with a large source ensures all generated sizes look crisp and professional

Future-Proofing: As new devices with higher resolutions emerge, WordPress can generate larger sizes from your high-resolution source

Accepted File Formats

WordPress accepts these image formats for site icons:

• PNG (recommended): Supports transparency, excellent quality
• JPEG: Works well for photos, no transparency
• GIF: Supports transparency, limited colors
• ICO: Traditional favicon format, but PNG is usually better
• SVG: Some servers support it, but compatibility varies

PNG is generally the best choice, offering transparency (important for favicons) and excellent quality at all sizes.

Adding Favicon via Theme Settings

Some WordPress themes provide their own favicon uploader in theme options or settings panels. If your theme includes this feature:

1. Navigate to the theme's settings page (location varies by theme)
2. Look for "Favicon," "Site Icon," or "Logo" settings
3. Upload your favicon image
4. Save settings

However, using the WordPress Customizer method is generally better because:

• It works regardless of which theme you're using
• Changing themes won't lose your favicon
• It's the official WordPress method with best compatibility

Adding Favicon with Plugins

Several WordPress plugins offer favicon functionality, though it's usually unnecessary since WordPress has built-in support. Popular options include:

All in One SEO Pack: Includes favicon upload as part of comprehensive SEO features

Yoast SEO: Premium version offers social media and favicon management

Insert Headers and Footers: Lets you add custom favicon code manually

Unless you need other features these plugins provide, stick with the native WordPress site icon feature for simplicity.

Troubleshooting WordPress Favicons

If your favicon isn't displaying properly:

Clear All Caches: WordPress caching plugins and browser cache can show old favicons

• Clear your WordPress cache plugin settings
• Clear your browser cache (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R)
• If using Cloudflare or other CDN, purge their cache too

Check File Format and Size: Ensure your image is:

• Square (equal width and height)
• At least 512x512 pixels
• A supported format (PNG recommended)
• Not corrupted (try uploading a different image)

Disable Favicon Plugins: If you have favicon-related plugins, temporarily disable them to see if they're conflicting with WordPress's native site icon

Check Theme Compatibility: A few older themes might override the WordPress site icon. Update your theme or contact the theme developer.

Verify Upload Success: In the Media Library, find your uploaded site icon and verify it uploaded completely without errors

Changing Your WordPress Favicon

To change your existing favicon:

1. Go to Appearance → Customize → Site Identity
2. Click "Change site icon" or "Remove" the current one
3. Upload your new favicon image
4. Crop and publish

The new favicon replaces the old one across your entire site instantly.

WordPress Multisite Favicons

For WordPress Multisite networks, each site can have its own unique favicon:

• Network administrators can set a default favicon for all sites
• Individual site administrators can override with custom favicons
• The process for each site is identical to standard WordPress installations

Mobile App Icon Integration

When you set a WordPress site icon, it automatically serves as the app icon when users add your site to their mobile home screen. WordPress generates:

• Apple Touch Icon (180x180): For iOS devices
• Android Chrome Icon (192x192): For Android devices

This means one upload gives you a professional favicon AND mobile app icon with no extra work.

SEO Benefits of WordPress Favicons

A properly configured favicon helps your WordPress SEO by:

Improved Click-Through Rates: Professional favicon in search results makes your listing more noticeable and trustworthy

Brand Recognition: Consistent favicon across browser tabs and bookmarks reinforces brand memory

Social Media Sharing: When people share your content, the favicon often appears in social previews

Professional Appearance: Sites without favicons look amateur, potentially increasing bounce rates

Advanced: Custom Favicon Code in WordPress

For advanced users who want more control, you can manually add favicon code to your theme. Edit your theme's header.php file (preferably in a child theme) and add:

<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="<?php echo get_site_icon_url(32); ?>">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="<?php echo get_site_icon_url(16); ?>">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="<?php echo get_site_icon_url(180); ?>">

This method uses WordPress's built-in functions to dynamically generate the proper favicon URLs.

Creating the Perfect WordPress Favicon

For the best WordPress favicon:

Simple Design: Complex logos with fine details become muddy at small sizes. Use simple, bold designs.

Consistent Branding: Your favicon should relate to your logo and brand colors

Test at Small Sizes: Preview how your 512x512 image looks when shrunk to 16x16 pixels

Use Transparency: PNG transparency lets your favicon look good on any background

Consider Using Emojis: Our emoji favicon generator creates perfect WordPress-ready favicons in seconds. Simply download and upload to WordPress.

WordPress Favicon Best Practices

Update Regularly: Seasonal favicon changes (holiday themes) can increase engagement

Match Your Brand: Favicon should be recognizable as part of your brand identity

Test Across Devices: Check how your favicon looks on desktop browsers, mobile Chrome, and iOS Safari

Keep It Simple: At 16x16 pixels, details disappear. Prioritize clarity over complexity

Use High Contrast: Bold, high-contrast designs remain visible even when tiny

WordPress makes favicon management easier than any other platform. With proper setup, your site will have a professional, recognizable icon that enhances brand identity and user experience across all devices.