Opera Browser Family

O

Opera Desktop
Standard browser

GX

Opera GX
Gaming browser

??

Opera Touch
Mobile browser

?

Opera Mini
Lite version

Key Info: Opera is Chromium-based since Opera 15 (2013), so it shares most favicon behavior with Chrome but has unique features like Speed Dial and built-in compression.

Opera Favicon Support

Format & Size Support

Format	Support	Recommended Size	Notes
ICO	? Full	16x16, 32x32, 48x48	Traditional format, fully supported
PNG	? Full	32x32 (preferred)	Best for transparency
SVG	? Full	Any (vector)	Scales perfectly, smaller file size
GIF	? Limited	16x16, 32x32	Static only, no animation
APNG	? No	N/A	Not supported for favicons

Recommended: Use PNG 32x32 for best quality and compatibility across all Opera versions.

HTML Implementation for Opera

Recommended HTML Code

Complete Opera-Compatible Setup:

<!-- Standard favicon (all Opera versions) -->
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon-16x16.png">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="96x96" href="/favicon-96x96.png">
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="512x512" href="/favicon-512x512.png">

<!-- SVG favicon (Opera 44+, Opera GX) -->
<link rel="icon" type="image/svg+xml" href="/favicon.svg">

<!-- ICO fallback for older Opera versions -->
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon.ico">

<!-- Speed Dial icon (Opera Desktop) -->
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon.png">

<!-- Opera Coast (deprecated but safe to include) -->
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="228x228" href="/coast-228x228.png">

Minimal Setup (Essential Only):

<!-- PNG favicon (best for Opera) -->
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png">

<!-- SVG for modern Opera -->
<link rel="icon" type="image/svg+xml" href="/favicon.svg">

Opera Speed Dial Icons

Optimizing for Speed Dial

What is Opera Speed Dial?

Speed Dial is Opera's visual bookmark feature showing thumbnail previews of favorite sites on the new tab page. Opera uses:

Primary: apple-touch-icon (180x180px or larger)
Fallback: favicon or page screenshot
Custom: Users can upload custom images

Best Practices for Speed Dial:

? Do This:

Provide apple-touch-icon 180x180px minimum
Use clear, recognizable brand imagery
Design works well as thumbnail
High contrast for visibility
Optimize file size (<50KB)

? Avoid:

Small favicons only (look pixelated)
Complex designs (hard to recognize)
Text-heavy images (unreadable at small size)
Low contrast (disappears on thumbnails)
Large file sizes (>100KB)

Recommended Sizes:

Size	Purpose	Priority
180x180px	Speed Dial standard	High
256x256px	Speed Dial high-DPI	Medium
512x512px	Future-proof, PWA	Optional

Opera GX Gaming Browser

Gaming Browser Optimizations

Opera GX Features:

Same engine: Chromium-based, same favicon support as Opera Desktop
Dark theme: Consider dark-mode favicons (see Dark Mode guide)
RGB lighting: Vibrant colors stand out better
Gaming focus: Gaming-related iconography resonates well

Design Recommendations for Opera GX:

Effective Choices:

Bold, vibrant colors (neon, RGB)
High contrast icons
Gaming aesthetic elements
Dark theme compatibility

Less Effective:

Pastel or muted colors
Light-only designs
Corporate/business styling
Low saturation

Opera Compression & Performance

Opera Turbo & Built-in Compression

Opera Turbo Mode:

Opera includes Turbo mode that compresses web pages through Opera servers. However, favicons are typically not compressed by Turbo as they're cached locally.

Optimization for Opera:

File size: Keep favicons under 10KB (PNG) or 5KB (ICO)
SVG: Excellent choice—smaller than PNG, scales perfectly
Compression: Use PNG optimization tools (TinyPNG, ImageOptim)
Caching: Set long cache headers (1 year recommended)

Performance Checklist:

PNG favicon optimized and <10KB

SVG favicon provided for modern Opera

Cache headers set to 1 year

Speed Dial icon (180x180px) provided

Opera Cache Behavior

How Opera Caches Favicons

Cache Characteristics:

Aggressive caching: Opera caches favicons very aggressively
Duration: Respects Cache-Control headers, but minimum ~7 days
Location: Stored in browser cache and profile directory
Updates: Checks for updates based on HTTP headers

Forcing Favicon Update:

1. Hard Refresh:
   • Windows/Linux: Ctrl + Shift + R or Ctrl + F5
   • Mac: Cmd + Shift + R

2. Clear Browsing Data:
   • Settings ? Privacy & Security ? Clear browsing data
   • Select "Cached images and files"
   • Time range: "All time"

3. Version Query String (for developers):
   <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.png?v=2">

Recommended Cache Headers:

Cache-Control: public, max-age=31536000, immutable
Expires: [Date 1 year from now]

Opera-Specific Issues

Solutions:

Clear Opera cache (Ctrl+Shift+Del ? Cached images)
Check HTML implementation (correct rel="icon")
Verify file exists and is accessible
Try PNG instead of ICO format
Check browser console for errors (F12)

Causes:

No apple-touch-icon provided (using page screenshot)
Icon too small or low quality
Opera cached old version

Solutions:

Add apple-touch-icon 180x180px or larger
Clear Speed Dial cache: Right-click ? Edit ? Reload
Manually upload custom Speed Dial image

Solution (try in order):

Hard refresh: Ctrl+Shift+R
Clear cache: Settings ? Clear browsing data
Add version query: favicon.png?v=2
Restart Opera browser
Check if new version is actually uploaded to server

Possible Causes:

Opera cached older version
Different icon priorities in HTML
Size preference differences
SVG support variation
Clear both browser caches and compare

Testing in Opera

Opera Testing Checklist

Test Across Opera Versions:

Opera Desktop: Favicon in tabs, bookmarks bar

Opera GX: Visibility on dark theme

Speed Dial: Icon appears correctly in Speed Dial

Mobile (Opera Touch): Icon on mobile browser

16x16px: Clear and recognizable at smallest size

Cache test: Favicon persists after clearing cache

Opera Favicon Best Practices

? Recommended

Use PNG 32x32px as primary format
Include SVG for modern Opera
Provide 180x180px for Speed Dial
Optimize file sizes (<10KB)
Set long cache headers
Test on Opera GX (dark mode)
Use high contrast colors
Simple, recognizable design

? Avoid

Only ICO format (outdated)
Large file sizes (>50KB)
No Speed Dial icon
Complex, detailed designs
Short cache durations
Light-only designs (breaks in GX)
Low contrast imagery
Skipping mobile testing