Convert PNG to ICO
Free, private and fast: everything runs in your browser and your PNG files are never uploaded.
Why make an ICO file
Websites still use favicon.ico for the small picture in browser tabs and bookmarks, and Windows wants an .ico file for shortcuts, folders and programs. An ICO is not just a renamed PNG: it holds several sizes of the same picture, so a tab can use 16 pixels and the desktop 256 pixels without blurry scaling. This tool makes such a file from your PNG. Tick the sizes you want (16, 32, 48 and 256 px are selected, which covers browsers and Windows), and the PNG is scaled down to each of them with its transparency intact. A logo that is not square is centred on a transparent square instead of being stretched. Several PNGs give one .ico each, downloaded together as a zip.
How to convert PNG to ICO
- Drop your PNG in the box, or click to choose it. A square image of 256 px or more works best.
- Tick the icon sizes you want in the file.
- Click Create ICO and download the .ico file.
What changes when you convert
Start from a large, square image
Every size is made by scaling your PNG down. A source smaller than the largest size is enlarged and looks soft, and the tool tells you when that happens. A square PNG of 256 px or more gives sharp icons at every size.
Small sizes need simple shapes
At 16 × 16 pixels thin lines and small text disappear. Icons that work best are a bold shape or one or two letters on a plain background; a detailed logo may need a simplified version for the smallest size.
Using it as a favicon
Upload the file as favicon.ico to the root of your website. Browsers request /favicon.ico on their own; you can also point to it with a link rel="icon" tag in the page head.
Very old Windows versions
The sizes are stored as PNG images inside the .ico, which Windows Vista and later and all current browsers read. Windows XP shows only icons stored as bitmaps.
About the formats
PNG
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a lossless image format from 1996 and the usual format for screenshots, logos, diagrams and images with transparency. Every pixel is stored exactly, so text and sharp edges stay crisp.
- Lossless: saving again never reduces quality.
- Supports full transparency (an alpha channel).
- Photos saved as PNG are usually several times larger than as JPG.
ICO (icon)
ICO is the Windows icon format, also used for favicon.ico, the small picture a browser shows in tabs and bookmarks. One .ico file holds several sizes of the same picture, so each place can use the size that fits best instead of scaling one image.
- Common sizes are 16, 32 and 48 px; Windows uses 256 px for large icons.
- Since Windows Vista each size can be stored as a PNG, with full transparency.
- Browsers look for /favicon.ico at the root of a website if a page names no other icon.
Frequently asked questions
Is my image uploaded?
No. The icon file is built by your browser on your own device, and the PNG never leaves it.
Which sizes should I include?
16, 32 and 48 px for browser tabs and Windows lists, and 256 px for large desktop icons. The 256 px size makes up most of the file; the small sizes add little.
Is transparency kept?
Yes. Every size keeps the full transparency of the PNG, including soft edges.
Can I make an ICO from a JPG?
This tool takes PNG files. Convert a JPG to PNG first; a JPG has no transparency, so the icon will have the photo's background.