Skip to content 
Master Favicons and Touch Icons to make your website stand out everywhere.
You know that tiny logo you see in your browser tab? The one you probably spent about five minutes on before moving on to the real design work? Yeah, those are your Favicons and Touch Icons. If you’re like most of us, you probably just dropped a favicon.ico file in your root folder years ago and haven’t thought about it since.
But here’s the thing, the world has changed. That little 16×16 pixel square isn’t just for browser tabs anymore. Properly implemented Favicons and Touch Icons serve as the face of your brand on smartphone home screens, in tablet docks, and inside search results. What used to be a simple checkmark on a todo list is now a whole family of icons you need to manage.
And if you get your Favicons wrong, it shows. There’s nothing more frustrating for a user than adding your beautiful website to their iPhone home screen, only to see a blurry, pixelated version of your logo staring back at them. It instantly makes your site feel unprofessional.
The good news? Getting your Favicons and Touch Icons right isn’t actually that hard. It all comes down to using the humble <link> tag in your HTML the right way.
Understanding Modern Favicons and Touch Icons
Back in the day, one icon fit all. Those days are long gone. Now, you need to dress your website for different occasions with the right Favicons and Touch Icons.
- The Classic Tab Icon: The small one for browser tabs and bookmarks.
- The Home Screen Star: A big, high-res icon for when someone saves your site to their phone’s home screen.
- The PWA Superstar: If your site acts like an app, it needs a full set of app-worthy Favicons.
- The Supporting Cast: Things like the theme-color tag that changes the color of the address bar on mobile to match your brand.
Ignore proper implementation of Favicons and Touch Icons, and your brand looks sloppy across different devices. But handle it well, and you look incredibly polished and professional.
Implementing Favicons and Touch Icons with Link Tags
All of this magic happens with simple <link> tags you place in the <head> of your HTML. They’re like little signposts telling devices where to find the right Favicons & Touch Icons for the job.
Let’s meet the most important ones for managing your Favicons and Touch Icons.
Basic Favicons and Touch Icons Setup
This is your go-to tag for the standard favicon. While browsers will still look for an old-school favicon.ico file, using this tag gives you much more control over your Favicons & Touch Icons.
Here’s the basic setup:
html
<!-- The classic .ico for maximum compatibility --> <link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/favicon.ico" /> <!-- Modern PNGs for browsers that can use them --> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="/favicon-32x32.png" sizes="32x32"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="/favicon-16x16.png" sizes="16x16">
This way, the browser can pick the best file for the situation from your available.
But there’s an even cooler option now for your Favicons & Touch Icons: SVG favicons.
html
<link rel="icon" type="image/svg+xml" href="/favicon.svg">
SVG is a vector format, which means it’s infinitely scalable. It looks crystal clear on any screen, from an old laptop to a fancy 4K display. This one file can often replace all your PNGs in your collection.
Apple-Specific Favicons and Touch Icons
iPhones and iPads play by their own rules. To make sure your website looks great as a home screen icon on Apple devices, you need specific Favicons & Touch Icons for iOS.
You do that like this:
html
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/apple-touch-icon.png"> <!-- For super sharp Retina displays --> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon-180x180.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="152x152" href="/apple-touch-icon-152x152.png">
A quick heads up about your Favicons and Touch Icons on iOS: the system will automatically add rounded corners and a gloss effect to your icon. If you’ve designed your own effects, you can tell it not to, but it’s usually better to let Apple handle it so your icon matches others on the home screen.
Advanced Favicons and Touch Icons for PWAs
If you’re building a website that feels like a native app, then you’ll want a manifest.json file for your Favicons as well as the Touch Icons. This is a single file that acts as an instruction manual for your app, and it includes all your icons.
A simple manifest.json looks like this:
json
{
"name": "My Cool App",
"short_name": "CoolApp",
"icons": [
{
"src": "/icon-192x192.png",
"sizes": "192x192",
"type": "image/png"
},
{
"src": "/icon-512x512.png",
"sizes": "512x512",
"type": "image/png"
}
]
} You just link to it from your HTML:
html
<link rel="manifest" href="/manifest.json">
The beauty of this approach to Favicons & Touch Icons is that you declare everything in one place, and the phone or browser picks the perfect icon for the job.
Complete Favicons and Touch Icons Implementation
So, what does this look like in a real website? You layer all these techniques together to cover every possible device with your icons.
html
<head> <!-- The universal fallback --> <link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/favicon.ico"> <!-- The modern, scalable choice --> <link rel="icon" type="image/svg+xml" href="/favicon.svg"> <!-- PNG backups --> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon-16x16.png"> <!-- For iPhones and iPads --> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon-180x180.png"> <!-- For PWAs --> <link rel="manifest" href="/site.webmanifest"> <!-- A nice touch for the mobile address bar --> <meta name="theme-color" content="#ffffff"> </head>
This might look like a lot, but it ensures your Favicons & Touch Icons make your brand look sharp everywhere.
Best Practices for Favicons and Touch Icons
- Size Matters: Create Favicons and Touch Icons in a bunch of sizes, from tiny (16×16) to huge (512×512). You never know which one a device will need.
- Keep It Simple: Your Favicons and Touch Icons should be recognizable at a glance, even when they’re super small. Avoid complicated details.
- Test Thoroughly: Use your browser’s developer tools to see how your Favicons and Touch Icons look on different simulated devices. It’s the easiest way to catch problems.
Why Favicons and Touch Icons Matter
At the end of the day, spending an extra hour on your Favicons and Touch Icons is one of the highest-return investments you can make in your website. Getting your Favicons Icons right sends a powerful message that you care about the user’s experience, down to the very last pixel.
Proper Icons separate a site that’s just functional from one that feels polished, professional, and truly well-made. So take the time to implement your Favicons and Touch Icons correctly. Your users and your brand will thank you for it.
New to HTML? Start Here: HTML Tutorial for Beginners: Your Complete Introduction to HTML Basics
Get Build Breakdowns & Tips — Straight to Your Inbox🔧
Join now and get bite‑sized coding hacks, pro tips, and exclusive tutorials delivered weekly—level up your skills without lifting a finger!
