How to Create a Favicon from Text or Image

7 min read

Learn how to create professional favicons from text or images. Follow this step-by-step guide covering recommended sizes, export formats (ICO, PNG, SVG), and using free online favicon generator tools for your website.

Creating a Favicon from Text

Text-based favicons are excellent for personal blogs, portfolios, or brands known by their initials. They are clean, scalable, and easily recognizable.

Pros

  • ✓ Clean and minimalist look
  • ✓ Highly legible at small sizes
  • ✓ Easy to match brand colors

Best For

  • • Personal blogs (e.g., "JD" for John Doe)
  • • News sites
  • • Text-heavy brands

When creating a text favicon, choose a font that remains readable at 16x16 pixels. Sans-serif fonts like Roboto, Open Sans, or customized bold weights usually work best.

Creating a Favicon from Image

If you already have a logo, converting it to a favicon is a great way to maintain brand consistency. However, simply shrinking a complex logo often results in a blurry mess.

Optimization Tips

  • 1. Simplify:Remove small text and intricate details. Use the icon or symbol part of your logo.
  • 2. Contrast:Ensure there is high contrast between the icon and the background (or use a transparent background).
  • 3. Aspect Ratio:Favicons must be square (1:1 aspect ratio). Crop your image accordingly.

Essential Formats & Sizes

Modern browsers support multiple formats, but covering all bases ensures your site looks great everywhere.

FormatSize (px)Use Case
favicon.ico16x16, 32x32Legacy browser support (IE), Address bar
icon.png192x192Android Chrome Home Screen
apple-touch-icon.png180x180iPhone/iPad Home Screen
icon.svgVector (Any)Modern browsers (Light/Dark mode support)

Step-by-Step Guide

1

Choose Your Source

Decide whether you want to generate a favicon from text (initials) or upload an existing image (logo).

2

Customize

If using text, pick your font, background color, and text color. If using an image, crop it to a square and ensure it's centered.

3

Generate

Click the "Generate Favicon" button. The tool will automatically create all the necessary files (ICO, PNGs, etc.).

4

Download & Install

Download the zip file. Unzip it and upload the images to your website's root directory or theme folder. Add the HTML code to your <head> section.

Ready to Create Your Favicon?

Use our free, fast, and easy tool to generate the perfect favicon for your site in seconds.

Open Favicon Generator

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