How to Change Favicon Programmatically in Magento 2: A Step-by-Step Guide

A favicon is a small, recognizable icon displayed in browser tabs, bookmarks, and history. It plays an essential role in your website’s branding and user experience. In Magento 2, you can update the favicon through the admin panel, but what if you want to change it programmatically? Whether for a custom theme or module, this guide will show you how to change the favicon in Magento 2 via code.

Why Should You Change the Favicon Programmatically in Magento 2?

Changing the favicon programmatically in Magento 2 can be beneficial for many reasons, including:

• Consistency in Branding: Maintain the same favicon across different environments (development, staging, production).
• Automating Deployment: Integrate favicon changes into your deployment process for faster updates.
• Customizing for Themes or Modules: Use custom favicons for specific themes or modules, enhancing branding for different areas of your store.

In this guide, we will explore two primary methods for updating the favicon: through a custom theme and by creating a custom module.

Method 1: Change the Favicon in a Custom Theme

Magento 2 stores the default favicon in the Magento_Theme module. To display a custom favicon, you can override this default in your custom theme.

Step-1: Locate the Default Favicon Logic

Magento retrieves the favicon through the Magento_Theme module. The default favicon file path is:

vendor/magento/module-theme/Model/Favicon/Favicon.php

The default logic for retrieving the favicon looks like this:

public function getDefaultFavicon()
{
    return 'Magento_Theme::favicon.ico';
}

Step-2: Add the Favicon to Your Custom Theme

To change the favicon, place your favicon.ico file in the following directory within your custom theme:

app/design/frontend/Vendor/Theme/Magento_Theme/web/favicon.ico

Replace Vendor/Theme with the actual namespace and name of your custom theme.

Step-3: Deploy Static Content

After adding the favicon, run the following command to deploy static content:

php bin/magento setup:static-content:deploy

This will ensure that Magento uses your custom favicon.

Step-4: Clear Cache

To ensure that the favicon updates are applied, clear the cache:

php bin/magento cache:clean

Once completed, your custom favicon should appear on the frontend of your Magento 2 store.

Method 2: Change the Favicon Using a Custom Module in Magento 2

If you need more flexibility, changing the favicon through a custom module allows you to update the favicon programmatically for different areas of your store, such as the admin panel or specific themes.

Step-1: Create the Module Structure

Create the following directories and files for your custom module:

app/code/VendorName/ModuleName/

Files to create:

• app/code/VendorName/ModuleName/registration.php
• app/code/VendorName/ModuleName/etc/module.xml
• app/code/VendorName/ModuleName/etc/di.xml

Step-2: Create the registration.php file at app/code/VendorName/ModuleName and add the following code:

<?php
use Magento\Framework\Component\ComponentRegistrar;

ComponentRegistrar::register(ComponentRegistrar::MODULE, 'VendorName_ModuleName', __DIR__);

Step-3: Create the module.xml file at app/code/VendorName/ModuleName/etc and add the following code:

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<config xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="urn:magento:framework:Module/etc/module.xsd">
    <module name="VendorName_ModuleName">
        <sequence>
            <module name="Magento_Theme"/>
        </sequence>
    </module>
</config>

Step-4: Create the UpdateFavicon.php file at app/code/VendorName/ModuleName/Model and add the following code:

To override the default favicon, create a new model file:

<?php
namespace VendorName\ModuleName\Model;

use Magento\Theme\Model\Favicon\Favicon as ParentClass;

class UpdateFavicon extends ParentClass
{
    /**
     * Get the custom favicon
     *
     * @return string
     */
    public function getDefaultFavicon()
    {
        return 'VendorName_ModuleName::favicon.ico';
    }
}

Step-5: Add your favicon files to the module’s web directories:

• Frontend: app/code/VendorName/ModuleName/view/frontend/web/favicon.ico
• Adminhtml: app/code/VendorName/ModuleName/view/adminhtml/web/favicon.ico

Step-6: Create the di.xml file at app/code/VendorName/ModuleName/etc and add the following code:

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
   <config xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="urn:magento:framework:ObjectManager/etc/config.xsd">
       <preference for="Magento\Theme\Model\Favicon\Favicon" type="VendorName\ModuleName\Model\UpdateFavicon" />
   </config>

Step-7: Deploy Static Content and Clear Cache

After adding the necessary files, clear the cache and deploy static content:

php bin/magento cache:clean
php bin/magento setup:static-content:deploy

Important Note: Remove the Favicon from Store Configuration

If you've previously set a favicon through the Magento admin configuration, it may override the custom favicon. Go to Store > Configuration > Web > Default Pages in the Magento Admin Panel and make sure the Favicon Icon field is empty.

Step-8: Verify the Favicon

After completing the steps, visit both the frontend and the admin panel of your Magento 2 store to verify that the new favicon is being displayed.

Troubleshooting Tips for Changing the Favicon in Magento 2

• Clear Browser Cache: If the favicon doesn’t show immediately, try clearing your browser cache or open the site in an incognito window to bypass cached content.
• Check File Permissions: Ensure that the favicon.ico file has the correct file permissions so that Magento can access it.
• Test Across Browsers and Devices: Verify the favicon displays correctly across different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) and devices (desktop, mobile).

Conclusion

Changing the favicon in Magento 2 programmatically provides you with complete control over how your store looks, enhancing your branding efforts. Whether using a custom theme or a custom module, both methods are effective and offer flexibility for different use cases.

By following this guide, you can easily add a custom favicon to your Magento 2 store, ensuring a more cohesive brand experience across your website. For more easy tips and tricks on Magento, stay tuned to our blog!