Searching for "favicon size" still returns fifteen-file checklists inherited from 2014. In practice six dimensions now cover browser tabs, search results, iOS, Android and PWAs. Here they are, and why.
The sizes you actually need
Each row is a real file in the modern package. Nothing more, nothing less: if a size is not in this table, no current browser asks for it in 2026.
| File | Dimensions | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| favicon.ico | 16×16, 32×32, 48×48 | Tabs, bookmarks, older browsers, crawlers |
| favicon.svg | vector, square | Modern browsers, sharp at every size, handles dark mode |
| favicon-96x96.png | 96×96 | Google search results on mobile |
| apple-touch-icon.png | 180×180 | iOS and iPadOS home screen, no transparency |
| web-app-manifest-192x192.png | 192×192 | Android home screen, declared in the web manifest |
| web-app-manifest-512x512.png | 512×512 | PWA splash screen, the "maskable" version |
Why 16, 32 and 48 live in the same .ico
ICO is a container format: a single file can hold several images and the browser picks the one matching its display. That is exactly what you want, because the requested size changes with the context.
16×16 is the tab on a standard screen. 32×32 is the same tab on a high-density screen, plus the bookmarks bar and desktop shortcuts. 48×48 is requested by some bookmark managers and by several crawlers, Google's included.
Shipping an .ico that only contains 16×16 is the single most common mistake: on a Retina screen your icon gets upscaled and looks permanently blurry.
180×180 for iOS, 192 and 512 for Android
iOS does not read the web manifest for the home screen icon: it looks for an apple-touch-icon tag. A single size is enough, 180×180, which covers every recent iPhone and iPad. The system scales it down itself for older devices.
Android goes through the web manifest instead. Two entries are enough: 192×192 for the home screen icon and 512×512 for the splash screen when the site is installed as an app. The 512 version should be declared with purpose "maskable", meaning it is drawn to survive being cropped into a circle or a rounded square.
For a maskable icon, keep the essentials inside the central 80%. Anything outside can be cropped depending on the phone manufacturer.
Which source image to start from
The best starting point is an SVG: it scales losslessly to every size above. Failing that, use a square PNG of at least 512×512 pixels, so that even the Android splash icon is produced by downscaling and never by upscaling.
A horizontal logo with text does not work at 16×16: at that size a word turns into three pixels of mush. Extract the symbol, or start from one or two letters on a contrasting background.
Finally, check the contrast on both light and dark backgrounds: a black logo vanishes in a dark-themed tab. That is exactly what the dark variant of the SVG favicon is for.
The sizes you no longer need
Older generators still emit a dozen useless files. Windows tiles (mstile-150x150.png and browserconfig.xml) targeted the Windows 8 Start menu, long gone. The monochrome SVG Safari "pinned tab" icon has not been read by Safari for several versions.
The long apple-touch-icon-57x57, 60x60, 72x72, 76x76, 114x114, 120x120, 144x144 and 152x152 series dates from a time when iOS could not resize. One 180×180 image replaces all of them.
Dropping these files trims your repository, your HTML, and above all your requests: every needless tag is a network request the browser still attempts.