How to Get Your Favicon in Google Search
Google shows a favicon next to your result on mobile and in some desktop views. To qualify, the icon must be square, big enough, reachable by Googlebot, and stable.
How the search favicon works
Google fetches your icon when it crawls your homepage, then shows it beside your result. It uses the same favicon for your whole site, based on the homepage icon, not a per-page one.
You do not submit it anywhere. You meet the requirements, and Google picks it up the next time it crawls. That means every requirement below has to be true at crawl time, not just eventually.
What Google requires
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Square, multiple of 48px | The icon must be square and a multiple of 48px, so 48x48 minimum, or 96x96, 144x144, and up. A 16x16 alone will not qualify. |
| A recognized reference | A valid rel="icon" tag in the homepage head, or a file served at /favicon.ico. Google needs a path it can find. |
| Reachable by Googlebot | The icon URL must not be blocked by robots.txt or a login wall. If Googlebot cannot fetch it, it cannot show it. |
| A stable icon | Keep the same icon at the same URL. Frequent changes or a moving path make Google slower to settle on one. |
Why yours might be missing
Too small is the most common cause. If your only icon is 16x16 or 32x32, it falls under Google's 48px floor and gets skipped. Provide a 48px-or-larger square icon, ideally via a rel="icon" tag pointing at a real PNG.
Blocked is next. If robots.txt disallows the icon path, or the file sits behind auth, Googlebot fetches nothing. Load the icon URL in a private window with no login to confirm it is public.
Not recrawled yet is the last one, and it is not a bug. Google updates the favicon only when it recrawls your homepage, which can take days to weeks. If you just fixed the icon, the requirement is met and you are waiting on a crawl.
Common questions
Why is my favicon not showing in Google search?
Usually the icon is too small (under 48px), blocked from Googlebot by robots.txt or a login, or Google has not recrawled your homepage since you added it. Check size, reachability, and give it time.
What size favicon does Google need?
A square icon that is a multiple of 48px, so 48x48 at minimum. Larger multiples like 96 or 144 are fine and Google scales down. A 16x16-only favicon does not qualify.
How long until Google shows my new favicon?
It updates on the next recrawl of your homepage, which typically takes days to weeks. There is no way to force it, so meet the requirements and wait for the crawl.
Does Google use a different favicon per page?
No. Google uses one favicon for the whole site, based on your homepage icon. Set it correctly on the homepage and it applies to every result from your domain.