Most Joomla! websites will by default display a favicon.
The favicon is a small 16px x16px image that is displayed next to the URL of your website in the browser address bar.
You will also usually see the favicon displayed next to the name of your site in open browser tabs and bookmark listings.
The favicon is part of the template used by your website.
File format
Favicons can be created using any image file format but ICO is the file format we recommend.
Reason: ICO is supported by all modern browsers.
Why use a favicon?
If you have a brand then displaying a favicon in your website will help to reinforce it.
In this article we tell you how to:
- create a favicon.ico file, and
- how to display it in your website.
How to create a favicon.ICO file
You can convert any GIF, JPG or PNG file to ICO using freely available online applications.
Example:
Some online applications also enable you to create and edit favicons using an online editor.
Example:
Others enable you to choose from a wide range of free ready to use favicons, as well as create your own unique favicon.
Example:
How to change the favicon displayed by a Joomla! CMS website
The default favicon.ICO file of the Joomla! CMS may be found in the:
- media/system/images
directory of the document root (the folder which contains the publicly accessible content of a website).
The template used by your website may have its own favicon.ICO file.
If it does then this will be found in the:
- templates/TEMPLATE_NAME
directory.
Simply replace the existing favicon.ICO file taking care to ensure the name and suffix of the new file are the same as the old one, namely:
- favicon.ico.
Note
If your website uses more than one template then you can see which is the default template by visiting the Extensions > Templates > Styles screen of your website's control panel.
How to view the new favicon in your browser
Once done, visit your website in a new browser tab to see the new favicon displayed.
If the old favicon is still visible the you will need to clear the browser cache.
To clear the browser cache use one of the following keyboard shortcuts:
- press CTRL-R, or
- press F5.
JOOMLERS.UK is sponsored by WYNCHCO Solutions
WYNCHCO Solutions help and support managers responsible for Joomla! CMS websites in UK business and third sector organisations across Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and North West England.
