The Ultimate Guide to Favicon Sizes and Formats in 2025

In the ever-evolving landscape of web development, favicons remain a small but crucial part of your website's identity. Getting them right means ensuring they look crisp and professional on every browser, device, and platform. This guide will walk you through all the essential favicon sizes and formats you need in 2025.

**1. The Classic `favicon.ico`:** Still relevant for older browsers and as a fallback. Typically includes 16x16, 32x32, and 48x48 pixel versions within a single .ico file.

**2. PNG Favicons:** For modern browsers, PNGs are widely supported. Key sizes include: `favicon-16x16.png`, `favicon-32x32.png`. Some also include `favicon-96x96.png` for larger displays or specific use cases.

**3. Apple Touch Icons:** Essential for iOS devices when users save your site to their home screen. The primary size is `apple-touch-icon.png` (180x180 pixels). You might also provide other sizes like 152x152, 167x167 (for iPads).

**4. Android Chrome Icons:** Android devices use icons specified in the Web App Manifest. Common sizes are `android-chrome-192x192.png` and `android-chrome-512x512.png`.

**5. SVG Favicons:** The future! SVGs are vector-based, meaning they scale perfectly to any size without losing quality. A monochrome SVG is used for Safari's pinned tabs (`safari-pinned-tab.svg`). Many modern browsers now support full-color SVGs as the primary favicon.

**6. Web App Manifest (`site.webmanifest`):** A JSON file that provides information about your web application, including icons, theme colors, and display mode. Essential for Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).

**7. Browserconfig.xml:** For Windows Metro tiles. Specifies various tile sizes like 70x70, 150x150, 310x150, and 310x310.

Using a comprehensive favicon generator can save you a lot of time by creating all these formats from a single source image and providing the necessary HTML markup.