Setting Up Your Own favicon.ico

IF you would like to setup your template so when it is bookmarked your own personal image appears in the user's browser links, you can create your own favicon.ico and upload this to your hosting area.

What is a favicon.ico:
Internet Explorer ("IE") 5.0 and above has a facility where, if someone bookmarks your website (ie puts it in their "Favorites" menu), it associates a particular icon with your website in the bookmark. If a favicon.ico file is available at your site, the icon will also be displayed beside your website name in the "Favorites" menu, the location bar in IE, and if the user opens up the "Favorites" folder, it will be the icon used for the link to your site.

How to Create the Icon
You will want to create a small image that is 16 x 16 and optionally a 32 x 32 pixel image as well. You will want to use an icon editor to create, or convert your image to the favicon.ico. See the links below for some editor/converter choices. Or, see the links below for free favicons that have already been created.

Most icon editors like IconEdit32 allow you to place both of these images in one icon file. The 16 x 16 is for the browser links and the 32 x 32 is for when a user "drags" your bookmark to their Windows desktop. Save the image and name it "favicon.ico".

Where to put the favicon.ico
To make this all work, simply upload the "favicon.ico" to the root directory of your hosting area. That's all there is to it.


Related Links:
Free Favicon Converter
Icon Suite Free icon editor
PixelToolbox Free icon and graphics editor
IconEdit32 Free icon editor from PC Magazine
Nirvana free favicons to download
RoyaltyFreeArt favicons to download