Favicon not showing: a fix-it checklist

When a favicon does not appear, the cause is usually a wrong file path or a cached old icon. Go through these checks in order.

1. Open the file directly. Visit yoursite.com/favicon.ico. If you see a 404, the file is in the wrong folder.
2. Check the link tag. Make sure the href in your head matches the real file path and sits inside <head>. See the HTML code guide.
3. Hard refresh. Press Ctrl+Shift+R (Cmd+Shift+R on Mac), or use a private window.
4. Clear caches. Browser, caching plugin, CDN and server cache can all keep the old file.
5. Check the format. Use a real PNG, ICO or SVG file. Renaming a JPG to .ico does not convert it.
6. Check the size. Use a square image. Very small or very large files can fail. A 32×32 PNG and a favicon.ico are safe choices.
7. Look for redirects or blocks. A login wall, redirect or robots.txt rule that blocks the icon can stop it loading.
8. Use HTTPS paths. Do not load the icon over plain HTTP from an HTTPS page.
9. Be patient with Google. Google updates favicons on its own schedule, often days or weeks. Keep the file URL stable and crawlable.

Still not working?

Generate a fresh set with the favicon generator, upload it to the root folder, and use the copied HTML code exactly as shown. Then test in a private window.