What is the most common favicon size?

16x16 is the classic size, but 32x32 is the practical default on modern high-DPI screens. The standard favicon.ico bundles 16, 32 and 48 so the browser picks the sharpest one for each surface.

Is a 16x16 favicon enough on its own?

No. Modern tabs, the Windows taskbar and Google all use larger sizes. Ship at least 16, 32 and a 48px-multiple square, plus a 180 Apple touch icon and 192/512 icons for phones and apps.

What is the largest favicon size?

512x512 is the largest size in everyday use - the Android and PWA icon declared in your web manifest. Keep a 1024x1024 master so you can regenerate every smaller size without quality loss.

What favicon size does Google use?

A square that is a multiple of 48px, such as 48, 96 or 144. Google downscales whatever you provide to the size it needs for the result snippet.

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What size is a favicon? The sizes you actually need

A favicon is 16x16, 32x32 and 48x48 pixels bundled in a single favicon.ico, plus a 32x32 PNG for crisp modern tabs. For phones and installable apps you add a 180x180 Apple touch icon and 192x192 and 512x512 PNG icons. That small set covers every browser and device in use today.

By Nico Jaroszewski · 24 June 2026 · 5 min read

A favicon is 16x16, 32x32 and 48x48 pixels bundled in a single multi-resolution favicon.ico, plus a 32x32 PNG for crisp modern tabs. For phones and installable apps you add a 180x180 Apple touch icon and 192x192 and 512x512 PNG icons. That small set covers every browser and device in use today - you do not need dozens of files.

The short answer, by surface

Browser tab: 16x16 and 32x32 (inside favicon.ico and as PNGs).
Google search: a square that is a multiple of 48px - 48, 96 or 144.
iOS home screen: a single 180x180 apple-touch-icon.
Android and PWA: 192x192 and 512x512 in the web manifest, plus a 512 marked maskable.
Master: keep a 1024x1024 original to regenerate from.

The full breakdown - by format and by platform, in clean tables - lives in the favicon sizes reference.

Why one size is never enough

It is tempting to export one big PNG and let the browser shrink it. The problem is that downscaling a detailed image to 16x16 - fewer pixels than a single emoji - turns thin strokes and small text to mush. Purpose-built 16 and 32 sizes are drawn to stay sharp at those dimensions, which is exactly why a real favicon.ico carries several resolutions in one file. For the deeper format story, see the icon size cheatsheet.

The size Google wants

For your favicon to appear next to your result, Google asks for a favicon that is square and a multiple of 48px. A 96x96 PNG satisfies this with room to spare. If your icon is square and at least 48px and it still is not showing, the cause is usually crawling or caching - walk through why your favicon doesn't show in Google.

Generate every size from one logo

You do not have to export and rename each size by hand. Drop a square logo into the Logo2Favicon generator and it outputs the multi-resolution favicon.ico, every PNG size, the Apple touch icon, the Android, PWA and maskable icons, the manifest, and the exact head snippet - all in your browser, nothing uploaded. Starting from a specific file? Use PNG to favicon.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common favicon size?: 16x16 is the classic size, but 32x32 is the practical default on modern high-DPI screens. The standard favicon.ico bundles 16, 32 and 48 so the browser picks the sharpest one for each surface.
Is a 16x16 favicon enough on its own?: No. Modern tabs, the Windows taskbar and Google all use larger sizes. Ship at least 16, 32 and a 48px-multiple square, plus a 180 Apple touch icon and 192/512 icons for phones and apps.
What is the largest favicon size?: 512x512 is the largest size in everyday use - the Android and PWA icon declared in your web manifest. Keep a 1024x1024 master so you can regenerate every smaller size without quality loss.
What favicon size does Google use?: A square that is a multiple of 48px, such as 48, 96 or 144. Google downscales whatever you provide to the size it needs for the result snippet.

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Generate your full icon set free

Drop one logo into the generator and download favicon.ico, every PNG size, the Apple touch icon, Android, PWA, and maskable icons, plus the manifest and HTML snippet - all in your browser, nothing uploaded.

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