You uploaded a new shopify favicon weeks ago. But the browser tab updated instantly. Google still shows the old one, or a blank globe. That gap is not a mistake on your part. It has two causes. Google keeps its own copy on its own schedule. It also wants a bigger image than your theme setting accepts.
The favicon is one small part of your search listing. Plug In SEO‘s bulk meta editor handles the other part, writing titles and descriptions across your catalogue from one template.
What a favicon actually is, and where it shows up
It is the small square icon that represents your store. Still, most merchants only think about the browser tab.
It appears in four places that matter: the browser tab, the bookmarks bar, browser history, and Google’s mobile search results. So that last one is the reason this is an SEO topic rather than a design detail. On a phone, your favicon sits next to your domain name on every result you earn.
A blank or generic icon there makes a real store look unfinished next to competitors who set one.
The two official size specs disagree
This is the part that catches people. In fact, both sources are correct, for different jobs.
Shopify’s help documentation says the ideal favicon is 16×16 or 32×32 pixels, and that anything bigger gets resized on upload: “If your favicon image size is too large, then it will be reduced to 32×32 pixels when you upload it to Shopify.”
Google’s documentation asks for a square image “at least 8x8px” and recommends favicons larger than 48x48px.
Shopify reduces uploaded favicons to 32×32 pixels. Meanwhile, Google recommends a favicon larger than 48×48 pixels for search results.
Shopify Help Center and Google Search Central, both checked 30 September 2026
Neither is wrong. A browser tab renders the icon at roughly 16 to 32 pixels. So the theme setting is sized correctly for its own surface. Google renders its own version at a larger size in search results, which is a different surface with a different requirement.
How to serve Google a larger icon as well
You can satisfy both without touching the theme setting. In fact, Google’s own spec makes this straightforward.
Google accepts four values on the icon link tag: icon, shortcut icon, apple-touch-icon and apple-touch-icon-precomposed. So add a second, larger icon reference in your theme. That gives Google something better to work with, and your tab icon stays put.
Upload a square PNG of 180×180 or larger to your files, then add a line like this inside the <head> of theme.liquid:
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://cdn.shopify.com/your-file-path.png">
Google says the href can be relative, absolute or a CDN-hosted URL, so a Shopify CDN path is fine. If you are not comfortable editing theme code, ask whoever maintains your theme. Because a misplaced tag in the head is easy to get wrong.
Why Google is still showing your old favicon
Usually the answer is simply time. Google states it plainly.
Their documentation says to allow time for a recrawl, and that “crawling can take anywhere from several days to several weeks”. So a favicon changed on Monday will not appear in search results on Tuesday, and that is normal rather than broken.
Two other things genuinely block it, and both are worth checking if weeks have passed:
- Crawl blocking. Google requires that “Googlebot-Image must be able to crawl the favicon file and Googlebot must be able to crawl the home page”. If either is disallowed in robots.txt, no favicon appears.
- An unstable URL. Google asks that the favicon URL stay stable and warns against changing it frequently. Re-uploading the file repeatedly gives it a new URL each time and resets the clock.
The rest of Google’s rules, briefly
There are only a few, and they are easy to meet.
| Requirement | What Google says |
|---|---|
| Shape | Square, 1:1 aspect ratio, at least 8x8px |
| Preferred size | Larger than 48x48px |
| Formats | BMP, GIF, ICO, PNG, JPEG, PPM, TIFF |
| Markup |
<link rel="icon" href="/path/to/favicon.ico"> in the head |
| Brand fit | Should be “visually representative of your website’s brand” |
| Content | Google won’t show a favicon it deems inappropriate |
How to add or change your shopify favicon
The setting lives in theme settings, not in the SEO section. That is where most people look first and fail to find it.
- In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store and select your theme.
- Click Edit theme, then open Theme settings using the gear icon.
- Click Logo or Favicon. Which one it sits under varies by theme.
- In the Favicon image section, click Select image and choose an existing file or upload a new one.
- Click Done, then Save.
You can add alt text afterwards by clicking Edit in the Favicon image section. It is a small accessibility detail, and the same habit that applies to image file names and alt text everywhere else on your store.
Design it for 32 pixels, not for your letterhead
Most favicons fail for design reasons rather than technical ones. A full logo does not survive the shrink.
At 32 pixels square, wordmarks turn to mush and fine detail disappears. So use a single letter, a monogram, or one simple shape from your brand, with strong contrast and no thin lines. Test it by viewing the image at actual size before you upload, not zoomed in.
Keep it recognisably yours, since Google asks that the icon represent your brand, and the whole point is being identified at a glance.
Which guide you need
This post covers the icon. Your search listing has two other parts.
For the title and description that sit beside it, read our guide to Shopify meta titles and descriptions. To see how the whole listing looks together before it goes live, use the search listing preview guide.
Frequently asked questions
What size should a shopify favicon be?
Shopify’s help documentation recommends 16×16 or 32×32 pixels, and automatically reduces anything larger to 32×32 on upload. Google separately recommends a favicon larger than 48×48 pixels for search results. Both are right for their own surface. So serve the theme setting a 32×32 icon, and add a larger icon link for Google.
Why is Google still showing my old favicon?
Almost always because it has not recrawled yet. Google says crawling “can take anywhere from several days to several weeks” after you change your home page. If more time than that has passed, check that robots.txt is not blocking Googlebot-Image from the favicon file or Googlebot from your home page.
Where is the favicon setting in Shopify?
It is in your theme settings rather than the SEO section. Go to Online Store, select your theme, then click Edit theme. Open Theme settings with the gear icon and click Logo or Favicon. Select your image, click Done and then Save.
Does a favicon affect my SEO rankings?
Not directly. A favicon is not a ranking factor, but it appears beside your domain in Google’s mobile search results, so it affects whether people click. Treat it as a click-through and brand-recognition detail rather than a ranking lever.
What file format should I use for a Shopify favicon?
A square PNG is the simplest choice and works everywhere. Google accepts BMP, GIF, ICO, PNG, JPEG, PPM and TIFF, so the format is rarely the problem. Make sure the image is a true square, because Google requires a 1:1 aspect ratio.
Can I use my full logo as a favicon?
Usually not well. At 32 pixels square, wordmarks and fine detail become unreadable, so a single letter, monogram or simple brand shape works far better. Google also asks that the favicon be visually representative of your brand, so keep it recognisably yours rather than generic.
Fix the rest of your search listing too
Plug In SEO’s bulk meta editor writes titles and descriptions across your catalogue from one template. Its Scanner flags the rest of your on-page SEO too, from broken links to missing structured data.