Favicon Size for Google Search: What Google Asks For

The short answer

For Google Search, the favicon must be square, with a 1:1 aspect ratio. Google's published guidance for site owners sets a minimum of 8×8 pixels and recommends a file larger than 48×48 pixels so the icon stays sharp across the different surfaces where Google shows it. An SVG favicon has no fixed pixel size, so the square proportion is the requirement that matters for that format.

The evidence supplied for this article included no confirmed specifications. The figures above come from Google's general documentation for site owners, which Google has revised before. Earlier versions asked for dimensions that were multiples of 48 pixels. Check the current Google Search Central favicon guidance before you finalize a file.

What "favicon" means in this context

Here, the favicon is the small site icon Google may show next to a page's listing in search results. It is a separate deliverable from the full logo. It is usually a simplified mark, monogram or symbol cut down from the main logo, because detailed wordmarks rarely survive reduction to icon scale.

Raster versus vector favicon files

The size question applies differently depending on the file type.

File type | How size applies | Practical note

Raster favicon (ICO, PNG and other pixel formats) | Pixel dimensions matter: square, at least 8×8, ideally above 48×48 | Export from the vector master at a larger square size rather than upscaling a small existing icon

SVG favicon | Scales without a fixed pixel size; must still be square | Only scales cleanly if the SVG contains real vector shapes

An .svg extension alone does not prove the file contains editable vector paths. An SVG can wrap an embedded raster image, and that image blurs when scaled just like a PNG. Before relying on an SVG favicon, open it in a vector editor or inspect its markup. Confirm the icon is built from paths and shapes, not from a single embedded bitmap.

Preparing the artwork from a vector logo

• Start from the editable vector master of the logo, not a raster preview or screenshot.
• Place the icon on a square artboard so the output keeps a 1:1 ratio without stretching.
• Simplify the mark: remove fine strokes, small text and thin gaps that disappear at small sizes.
• Check legibility by previewing the icon at very small sizes on both light and dark backgrounds.
• Export an SVG version and a larger square raster version so you can serve whichever format your site setup supports.

How Google finds the favicon

Google's guidance asks site owners to declare the favicon with a link element in the head of the home page and to keep both the page and the icon file crawlable. A typical declaration looks like this, with your own file path in place of the placeholder:

<link rel="icon" href="[path to your icon file]" type="image/svg+xml">

Google shows the favicon at its own discretion, and changes are not reflected instantly. A correctly sized file is necessary but does not guarantee immediate display. The brief supplied no evidence about update timing, so no timeframe is given here.