--- title: "Free Favicon Checker — Verify Site Favicon" description: "Free favicon checker. Verify /favicon.ico and are reachable, the correct content-type, and properly sized. Instant results, no signup." canonical: "https://lemwatch.com/tools/favicon-checker" source: "https://lemwatch.com" --- # favicon checker > Check whether your site exposes a valid favicon at /favicon.ico and via — and that browsers, search engines, and bookmark tools can actually fetch it. ## What this tool checks - /favicon.ico is reachable and returns a non-empty image - declarations resolve and respond with HTTP 200 - Content-Type headers identify the file as an image format - Apple-touch-icon variants exist for iOS bookmarks ## Why it matters A missing favicon shows up as a generic placeholder in browser tabs, search results, and bookmark bars — it hurts brand recognition and looks unprofessional. Google has explicitly stated favicons are used in mobile Search results. ## How to fix what it finds - Add a /favicon.ico at the site root - Declare in - Include an apple-touch-icon (180×180 PNG) for iOS - Ensure your CDN does not block image requests under /favicon.ico ## Methodology We fetch /favicon.ico at the site root and verify it returns 2xx with a non-empty body and a sensible image content-type. We then parse the homepage HTML for , , and tags, resolving each declared URL and HEAD-checking the first four (avoiding noise on overly verbose pages). A 100 score requires both a working /favicon.ico AND at least one valid HTML-declared icon, since both code paths matter for different platforms. ## This tool also answers ### Why is my favicon not showing in Google search results? Google needs a favicon that is reachable at a stable URL, at least 48x48 pixels, a square multiple of 48, and declared with rel="icon" on the homepage. It also must not be blocked in robots.txt — the most common silent cause. ### What size should a favicon be? Supply at least a 48x48 icon for search results and a 180x180 apple-touch-icon for iOS home screens. A multi-resolution favicon.ico plus a 512x512 PNG in your web manifest covers every mainstream surface. ## Frequently asked questions ### Why do I need both /favicon.ico and ? Older browsers and Google's favicon fetcher hit /favicon.ico directly. Modern browsers prefer the tag because it can declare multiple sizes. Shipping both is the most reliable setup. ### What size should my favicon be? Provide a 32×32 PNG via , a 180×180 PNG via , and a multi-resolution favicon.ico (16, 32, 48). Larger SVGs are also welcome via . ### Does the favicon affect SEO? Indirectly. Google shows favicons in mobile Search results — a missing or broken one means a generic globe icon next to your listing, hurting CTR. ### Why does my favicon work in Chrome but not Safari? Safari is stricter about MIME types. If your server sends favicon.ico as text/html instead of image/x-icon, Safari may ignore it. ### How often does Google refresh favicons? Google re-crawls favicons roughly every few days. Cache-busting with a versioned filename (favicon.v2.ico) forces an immediate refresh. ### Why is my favicon not showing in Google search results? Google needs a favicon that is reachable at a stable URL, at least 48x48 pixels, a square multiple of 48, and declared with rel="icon" on the homepage. It also must not be blocked in robots.txt — the most common silent cause. ### What size should a favicon be? Supply at least a 48x48 icon for search results and a 180x180 apple-touch-icon for iOS home screens. A multi-resolution favicon.ico plus a 512x512 PNG in your web manifest covers every mainstream surface. ## Related - [All free tools](https://lemwatch.com/tools) - [Meta Tags](https://lemwatch.com/tools/meta-tag-analyzer) - [Free SEO Audit](https://lemwatch.com/tools/free-seo-audit) - [Mozilla Observatory Scan](https://lemwatch.com/tools/mozilla-observatory-checker) - [schema markup validator tool](https://lemwatch.com/tools/schema-markup-checker) - [wordpress vulnerability scanner](https://lemwatch.com/tools/wp-vulnerability-scanner) - [Lemwatch pricing](https://lemwatch.com/pricing) - [All monitoring checks](https://lemwatch.com/features)