Favicon Generator From PNG: Every Size a Browser Asks For (Free)
Browsers no longer ask for one favicon. Tabs want 16 and 32, bookmarks want 48, iOS home screens want 180, Android wants 192, and crawlers check for an ICO fallback at the root.
Favicon Generator turns a single PNG into that whole set with the HTML link tags ready to paste. This guide covers what each size is for and how to keep the mark legible at tab size.
What each size is actually for
16 and 32 pixel PNGs plus the ICO serve browser tabs and bookmark bars. 48 appears in Windows context menus. 180 is the Apple touch icon for home-screen saves. 192 and 512 feed Android chrome and the web manifest.
Missing any one degrades gracefully but visibly: a generic globe or a stretched crop instead of your mark.
Step by step
- Open Favicon Generator and add a square PNG of your logo or mark.
- Preview the rendered sizes; check the 16 pixel view first because it is the harshest.
- Download the set and copy the generated link tags into your site head.
- Place the files at the paths the tags reference; everything was generated locally.
Designing for 16 pixels
At tab size you have roughly a dozen readable pixels of width. Single shapes survive; wordmarks do not. Use the symbol alone, thick strokes, high contrast against the tab colour.
- Test legibility by squinting at the 16 pixel preview, not the 512.
Avoid thin outlines and gradients; both dissolve at small sizes.
A solid background shape often reads better than transparency in crowded tab bars.
Wiring the set into a site
Paste the generated link tags before other head assets so crawlers find them early, and keep the ICO at the root path because some crawlers request it directly without reading tags.
For the manifest, reference the 192 and 512 PNGs so install prompts show a crisp icon. Pair with Image to Base64 when a build cannot serve separate files.
Try it free: Favicon Generator | runs entirely in your browser, no uploads and no signup.