How to Make a Simple Favicon for a Website
A favicon is a tiny icon, but browsers expect it in a particular container format.
What is the Favicon Generator?
In the browser this tool draws your letter on a square canvas, takes the PNG from that canvas, and wraps it in a genuine ICO container with a header, one directory entry and the PNG data. The ICO header bytes are shown so the format can be checked. The icon is a single-size, single-letter design, not a multi-size icon set.
How to use it
- Type one letter for the icon
- Pick background and letter colours and a size
- Generate it and download the ICO file
Worked example
A letter M on a dark background at 32 by 32 pixels gives an ICO with data offset 22 bytes and a downloadable favicon.ico file in the browser.
What is inside an ICO file?
An ICO file starts with a short header and a directory entry describing each image, followed by the image data itself. Modern ICO files often hold PNG data inside that container.
Frequently asked questions
Is the download really an ICO file?
Yes, in the browser the PNG is placed inside an ICO container with the standard header and directory entry, rather than just renaming a PNG.
Can I get several sizes in one file?
Not with this tool. It produces one size at a time, so generate each size you need separately.