A favicon is small image ( known as an icon ) that is used to identify a website or webpage . A favicon ( short for favorites icon ) , also known as a shortcut icon , website icon , URL icon , or bookmark icon is a file containing one or more small icons , most commonly 16x16 pixels , associated with a particular website or webpage . A web designer can create such an icon and install it into a website ( or webpage ) by several means , and graphical web browsers will then make use of it .