A favicon (short for favourite icon) is a small image that identifies a website in browser tabs and bookmarks. On a Joomla website, it complements the visual design and helps visitors distinguish the site from other open pages.
Formats and sizes
A favicon is not limited to a 16×16 image named favicon.ico. Browsers support several formats, including ICO, PNG and SVG. The choice depends on the target browsers and how the icon is declared. ICO can contain multiple sizes, PNG is suitable for raster images, and SVG stays sharp when scaled.
Use a simple, recognisable symbol without small lettering and check it at its actual tab size. Icons for mobile home screens and installed web applications may be configured separately and are not necessarily the same as the browser tab icon. Apple home-screen icons use apple-touch-icon, while web application icons may be listed in a manifest. These settings do not replace rel="icon".
How a favicon is declared
An HTML page usually declares its favicon with a link element whose rel attribute is set to "icon". The href attribute specifies the file path. The filename can be chosen freely. Browsers also use favicon.ico at the website root, but an explicit declaration gives the site control over the selected image.
Favicons in Joomla
On a Joomla website, the replacement method depends on the active template. Check its settings and documentation first: it may provide a favicon field or use files in its asset directory. There is no single file path that applies to every Joomla template.
After making a change, open several site pages and check their tab icons. If the old icon remains, the browser, site or CDN cache may be responsible. Confirm that the file is accessible and that the page refers to the intended image. Updates may overwrite changes to files supplied with a template, so use the configuration method provided by that template.
Summary
A favicon is a small but visible part of a website’s identity. For Joomla, choose a legible symbol, configure it through the active template and verify the result after clearing the relevant cache.