Google has updated the favicon search developer documentation to list out the supported favicon file formats. Google added this line that reads, “Google Search supports the following favicon file formats: BMP, GIF, ICO, PNG, JPEG, PPM, and TIFF.”
Google explained it made this update to “be clearer about which favicon file formats are supported by Google Search.”
In the previous version of the help documentation, it linked to an “external reference that evolved over time and caused ambiguity about which favicon file formats are actually supported in Google Search.” “Google Search’s supported file formats haven’t changed; this update explicitly lists them in the documentation,” Google added.
Here is the new line in the docs:
Last week, Google had a Favicon bug in search that took them about a week to fix. One of the most common issues I see from site owners is how to fix the favicon they see for their website.
So improved documentation is always welcomed, although, I wish Google had a debuggger tool in Search Console for this.
Note: SVG is not listed here:
FYI, as @citizen_zoo pointed out, SVG is left out of the supported file formats. I reached out to Google and they did say it’s not in the supported list. So if you are using an SVG, then change it to a pixel-based file instead (or at least have alternate versions of the favicon… https://t.co/QoQork6Oxa
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) August 28, 2026
Forum discussion at X.
