favicon.png vs favicon.ico – why should I use PNG instead of ICO?

Answer replaced (and turned Community Wiki) due to numerous updates and notes from various others in this thread:

  • ICOs and PNGs both allow full alpha channel based transparency
  • ICO allows for backwards compatibility to older browsers (e.g. IE6)
  • PNG probably has broader tooling support for transparency, but you can find tools to create alpha-channel ICOs as well, such as the Dynamic Drive tool and Photoshop plugin mentioned by @mercator.

Feel free to consult the other answers here for more details.

Related Posts:

  1. Does a favicon have to be 32×32 or 16×16?
  2. Use Font Awesome Icon As Favicon
  3. What’s the proper way to add a favicon in WordPress without a plugin? [closed]
  4. Favicon storage – which folder should be used?
  5. How to change the WordPress favicon?
  6. Where can I change favicon in my wordpress website?
  7. Problem with favicon in the latest wp
  8. favicon now showing up
  9. Why does WordPress want a 512×512 pixel site icon
  10. Not able to show the favicon to the uploads URL in WordPress
  11. Favicon only appearing on the homepage?
  12. wordpress favicon not working properly on all browsers
  13. Favicon does not showup
  14. Favicon not working properly in chrome and in firefox
  15. Facebook favicon appearing on my home page
  16. Why can’t I upload ICO files to WordPress?
  17. How to add a browser tab icon (favicon) for a website?
  18. Adding a favicon to a static HTML page
  19. What is difference between png8 and png24
  20. Add Favicon to Website [duplicate]
  21. Change color of PNG image via CSS?
  22. remove favicon white background
  23. HTML 5 Favicon – Support?
  24. Add image in title bar
  25. Do you have to include link rel=”icon” href=”favicon.ico” type=”image/x-icon” /?
  26. How to change the background colour’s opacity in CSS
  27. What is the best practice for creating a favicon on a web site?
  28. Favicon not working
  29. WordPress: “Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security reasons” when trying to upload standard image files
  30. Dash icons Not Showing properly in Menu Using WordPress
  31. How to display .ico files in the media library
  32. How to add favicon to my site – in both front end and admin panel
  33. Where do the favicons for Media Files come from
  34. Conditional Logic to Check for Site Icon
  35. Check if Favicon is set in Customizer
  36. How to change in customizer the “site identity” tab required capabilities
  37. favicon and multi site
  38. Favicon plugin for WordPress running in network mode (multisite)? [closed]
  39. Remove apple-touch-icon link generated by WordPress
  40. How to add iOS & fav icons to the theme?
  41. Why does WP recommend against custom favicon functionality in themes?
  42. How do I set my Feedburner feed to use my favicon?
  43. Plugin that inserts favicon next to links
  44. Change Favicon on Login Screen?
  45. Can’t delete unwanted favicon
  46. Compact pingback list with favicons
  47. Posting with slug “favicon” gets redirected
  48. Multisite favicon.ico
  49. Twentyten Child Theme: header images display messed up in admin panel
  50. Trying to create a plugin to change wordpress site icons per page
  51. How to disable cropping of the site icon?
  52. Set Site Icon programmatically (eg. using `wp cli`)
  53. Rewrite rule for path of favicon.ico ( Add_rewrite_rule function possible ? )
  54. How do I add a favicon that only shows during viewing of my plugin’s admin panel?
  55. Unable to display favicon using get_favicon()?
  56. Getting an error. Need to add favicon in my child theme functions.php. What’s wrong?
  57. Different favicon on different pages
  58. how to create a fav icon shortcode?
  59. Favicon not loading until cookies are accepted?
  60. Changable favicon
  61. adding a favicon to site2 – site1/site2/favicon.ico
  62. How to change the WordPress email icon?

Leave a Comment