LectionFree Tool

Favicon Checker

Check favicon links, apple-touch icons, manifest icons, and the classic /favicon.ico fallback on any live page.

Free favicon checkerManifest icon auditApple touch icon coverage
Free to runNo credit cardStructured results
Enter a homepage or specific URL. The checker will fetch the page, read the icon links in the head, and verify the linked assets.
Try:
Use this to confirm that browsers, crawlers, pinned tabs, and install prompts all have a valid icon source to pull from.
Start with a live page URL to see which favicon assets are declared, which ones actually load, and where fallback coverage is missing.

What is a favicon checker?

A favicon checker audits the small icon files a website exposes to browsers, search surfaces, pinned tabs, and device shortcuts. Most sites think of a favicon as one tiny `.ico` file, but the modern stack usually includes multiple HTML icon links, an `apple-touch-icon`, and a manifest with install-size PNG assets.

That stack breaks in quiet ways. A theme refresh can move an icon without updating the <link rel="icon"> reference. A site can ship a valid homepage favicon but miss the root `/favicon.ico` fallback. Teams also forget that mobile devices and install prompts often read different assets than the standard browser tab.

This free favicon checker pulls the live page, reads the declared icon links, verifies the target URLs, checks whether a manifest exists, and confirms whether the classic fallback asset is still reachable. It gives you a practical icon audit instead of making you inspect page source manually.

How to use favicon audit results

Start with the status summary. A healthy result usually means the page declares one or more favicon links, the linked files load successfully, and the fallback or manifest coverage is not obviously broken. A critical result usually means the checker found missing or unreachable assets.

Look at the linked asset table next. If the `rel` value is icon but the request returns `404`, browser tabs may show a stale icon or no icon at all. If the page has no apple-touch-icon , saved shortcuts on iOS can fall back to a screenshot or generic placeholder.

The manifest summary matters when the site supports install prompts, bookmarks, or pinned experiences. If the manifest loads but exposes zero icons, the site may appear incomplete on mobile install flows even though the normal browser tab still has a favicon.

Step 1

Check the page URL

Run the audit against the live homepage or a representative page template so you inspect the real head tags currently shipping.

Step 2

Fix broken assets first

Repair any icon URL that fails to load before you worry about optimization. A missing file causes more user-visible damage than an imperfect size mix.

Step 3

Expand platform coverage

After the core favicon works, fill in touch icons, manifest icons, and fallback coverage so the site looks consistent across desktop and mobile surfaces.

Typical HTML example
<link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" sizes="any">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon.png">
<link rel="manifest" href="/site.webmanifest">
Typical manifest example
{
  "name": "Example Site",
  "short_name": "Example",
  "icons": [
    { "src": "/android-chrome-192x192.png", "sizes": "192x192", "type": "image/png" },
    { "src": "/android-chrome-512x512.png", "sizes": "512x512", "type": "image/png" }
  ]
}

Common use cases

  • QA a redesign before launch and confirm the new favicon files actually shipped.
  • Audit a CMS or framework migration that changed static asset paths.
  • Check why bookmarks, tabs, or pinned shortcuts still show an old brand mark.
  • Verify that installable web app flows expose manifest icons and touch icons.
  • Review client sites at scale before an SEO or brand-quality handoff.

FAQ

What does this free favicon checker test?
It reads the live page head, finds favicon-style link tags, checks whether the linked assets load, verifies whether a manifest exists, and tests the classic /favicon.ico fallback.
Can I use this favicon checker on any public website?
Yes. Enter any public URL that responds normally to a server-side fetch. Private networks, localhost, and internal-only addresses are intentionally blocked.
Why does a site need more than one favicon file?
Different surfaces use different icon formats and sizes. Browser tabs, mobile home-screen shortcuts, pinned tabs, and install prompts often rely on different files or metadata.
What is the difference between favicon.ico and apple-touch-icon?
favicon.ico is the traditional browser fallback file. apple-touch-icon is a dedicated image that iOS devices use when someone adds the site to their home screen.
Does a favicon checker also validate my web app manifest?
This tool checks whether a manifest is linked, whether it loads, and whether it exposes icon entries. It is not a full manifest spec validator, but it does confirm the icon-related parts that most teams care about first.
Why would my favicon look fine in one browser but fail elsewhere?
Browsers and platforms fall back differently. One browser may use a linked PNG while another probes /favicon.ico or reads the manifest. A partial icon stack often hides the problem until a different surface requests a missing asset.

Related resources

Favicon issues often show up next to broader metadata problems. If you are auditing how a page is presented to crawlers, social surfaces, and browsers, pair this checker with metadata and header tools so you can review the full preview stack in one pass.

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Need more than a favicon audit?

Lection helps teams inspect live pages, extract structured data, and build reusable browser-based workflows without maintaining a custom scraping stack.

Add the free Chrome extension when you are ready to move from single-page checks to repeatable extraction.