You upload a new logo for your SharePoint site, but the old image still appears in the browser. The logo area on the site header, team site navigation, or communication site banner does not update. This problem occurs because browsers and SharePoint cache the logo image aggressively. This article explains why the old logo persists and provides three reliable methods to force the new logo to display.
Key Takeaways: Fixing a Stale SharePoint Site Logo
- Browser cache clear (Ctrl+Shift+Delete): Forces the browser to download the latest logo file instead of serving the cached version.
- Hard refresh (Ctrl+F5 or Ctrl+Shift+R): Instructs the browser to bypass the local cache for the current page and all its resources.
- SharePoint site logo URL cache: SharePoint stores the logo URL in its own cache; renaming the image file or using the Change Logo action resets this cache.
Why the Old Logo Persists After Upload
When you upload a new logo to a SharePoint site, the system stores the new image file in the Site Assets library or the site collection images library. However, the actual logo displayed on the site is controlled by a property that points to a specific image URL. SharePoint and web browsers both cache this URL and the image data to improve performance.
The browser cache stores a copy of the old logo image locally. Even after the file on the server changes, the browser continues to serve the cached copy until the cache expires or is manually cleared. SharePoint also caches the logo URL in its internal content database and in the site pages. This double caching mechanism means that simply uploading a new file with the same name does not immediately trigger a visual update.
The most common scenario is that the new logo file has the same name as the old one. When the browser requests the logo, it finds the old file in its cache and returns it without checking the server. Even when the browser does check, SharePoint may still return the old URL from its own cache. The fix must address both cache layers.
Steps to Force the New Site Logo to Display
Use these methods in the order listed. Start with the simplest browser-side fix and move to the server-side fix only if needed.
Method 1: Clear the Browser Cache
- Open browser settings
In Microsoft Edge, Chrome, or Firefox, open the browser menu (three dots or three lines) and select Settings. - Locate the clear browsing data option
In Edge and Chrome, go to Privacy, search, and services > Clear browsing data. In Firefox, go to Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Clear Data. - Select cached images and files
Check the box for Cached images and files. Do not clear cookies or passwords unless you want to lose site logins. - Set the time range
Choose All time to remove all cached files. This ensures the old logo is deleted. - Clear the cache
Click Clear now or Clear data. Reload the SharePoint site. The new logo should appear.
Method 2: Perform a Hard Refresh
- Navigate to the SharePoint site
Open the site where the old logo is still visible. - Press the hard refresh key combination
On Windows, press Ctrl+F5 or Ctrl+Shift+R. On macOS, press Cmd+Shift+R. This instructs the browser to fetch all page resources from the server, ignoring the local cache. - Check the logo
If the new logo appears, the issue was browser caching. If not, proceed to Method 3.
Method 3: Refresh the SharePoint Site Logo Cache
- Go to site settings
Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top-right corner of the SharePoint site and select Site information. - Change the logo
In the Site Information panel, click the current logo or the Change logo link. A file picker opens. - Upload a renamed copy of the logo
Rename the logo file before uploading. For example, if your file is company-logo.png, rename it to company-logo-2025.png. Upload the renamed file. This creates a new URL, forcing SharePoint to update its cache. - Save the change
Click Open or Save in the file picker. The site information panel closes. Reload the site. The new logo should now display.
If the SharePoint Site Logo Still Shows the Old Image
Logo is set at the hub site level
If your site is associated with a SharePoint hub site, the hub logo overrides the site logo. Navigate to the hub site and change its logo. Go to the hub site settings, select Hub site settings, and update the Logo field. The change propagates to all associated sites within a few minutes.
Browser extension or proxy is caching the image
Some browser extensions like ad blockers or image optimizers cache images independently. Test by opening the site in a private or incognito window (Ctrl+Shift+N in Chrome, Ctrl+Shift+P in Edge). If the new logo appears in the private window, disable or configure the extension. Corporate proxies may also cache images. Contact your IT team to clear the proxy cache for the SharePoint site URL.
Content delivery network (CDN) caching
If your organization uses a CDN to serve SharePoint assets, the old logo may be cached at the CDN edge. This is rare for logo files but possible. Wait 24 hours for the CDN cache to expire, or ask your SharePoint administrator to purge the CDN cache for the site collection.
| Item | Browser Cache Clear | Hard Refresh | SharePoint Logo Cache Refresh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | All cached files for all sites | Current page resources only | Site logo URL property only |
| Speed | Fast, but clears all cached data | Instant, no data loss | Requires file rename and upload |
| Persistence | Temporary; cache rebuilds | Single page load | Permanent until next logo change |
| Best for | First troubleshooting step | Quick test after uploading | When other methods fail |
You can now force the correct site logo to display by clearing the browser cache or performing a hard refresh. If the problem continues, upload a renamed copy of the logo file through the site information panel to reset the SharePoint logo cache. For hub sites, remember to update the hub logo instead of the individual site logo. As an advanced tip, always append a version number or date to your logo file name before uploading to prevent future cache conflicts.