Convert PNG to ICO
ICO is what Windows and browsers reach for when they want an icon, and PNG is what designers actually hand over. A favicon.ico at the root of a site is still the most reliable favicon there is: every browser looks for it by default, even the ones that also accept a PNG or SVG declared in the markup. The same file format covers Windows application and shortcut icons.
Drop your PNG files below and download ICO in seconds. Free, unlimited and completely private: the conversion runs inside your browser, so your files never leave your device and are never uploaded to a server.
No upload. Works with your network switched off. Check it yourself, or read what actually happens to your file.
Why convert PNG to ICO?
The thing to get right is the artwork, not the conversion. An icon is displayed at 16, 32 or 48 pixels across in most of the places it matters, so bold shapes and high contrast survive and fine detail turns to mush. Simplify before you convert: a wordmark that reads fine on a website is almost always unreadable as a 16 pixel favicon.
PNG stores every pixel exactly as it was saved, which makes it the safe choice whenever detail matters more than file size. It supports a full alpha channel, so logos and UI elements keep clean, soft edges on any background. The tradeoff is that photos saved as PNG can get large.
ICO files bundle one or more icon sizes into a single file that Windows and browsers use for favicons and app icons. Regular image viewers often refuse to open them, and most editors cannot save them, so a converter is the practical way in or out of the format.
What this converter does to your PNG file
The PNG is decoded and, if either side exceeds 256 pixels, scaled down proportionally to fit within 256 x 256, which is the largest image a single ICO entry can hold. It is then stored as a 32 bit PNG-compressed entry inside the ICO container, a form Microsoft's icon documentation notes is supported from Windows Vista onward, so the alpha channel is preserved and a cut-out logo stays cut out. Tick Resize width first if you want a specific icon size such as 32 or 48 pixels. The result is a single size icon rather than a multi-resolution bundle.
PNG vs ICO at a glance
| PNG | ICO | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Portable Network Graphics | Windows icon |
| Compression | Lossless | Contains PNG or BMP data |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Logos, screenshots and graphics with transparency | Favicons and Windows application icons |
What changes when you convert PNG to ICO
| What happens | |
|---|---|
| Image quality | Depends on the quality setting above, which controls how much detail ICO keeps. |
| Transparency | Kept. ICO stores an alpha channel, so cut-out backgrounds and soft edges survive. |
| EXIF and GPS | Removed. The conversion goes through a pixel buffer, so camera data and location are not carried into the ICO file. |
| Colour profile | Not carried across. The image is handled in sRGB, which is right for the web and wrong for colour-managed print work. |
| Animation | Not applicable. PNG files here are single images. |
| File size | Varies with the content of the image. No figure is quoted here, because none has been measured on a documented test set. |
How to convert PNG to ICO
- Drop one or more PNG files into the box above, or click to browse.
- ImageConvert converts each file to ICO right on your device.
- Download a single file, or grab everything at once as a zip.
Frequently asked questions
What size should my favicon be?
32 x 32 is the common working size, with 16 x 16 used in tabs and bookmarks and 48 x 48 on Windows. Tick Resize width and enter the number you want before converting; leaving it off keeps the PNG's own size, capped at 256 x 256.
Does the ICO keep the transparent background?
Yes. The icon is stored as a 32 bit PNG-compressed entry inside the ICO container, so the alpha channel survives and soft edges stay soft instead of hardening onto a colour.
Does it contain more than one size?
No. This writes a single image into the ICO container. Windows and browsers scale it as needed, which is fine for most sites, though artwork drawn separately for 16 and 32 pixels will always look crisper at those sizes.
What is a PNG file?
PNG is a lossless format with transparency support, ideal for graphics, logos and screenshots.
What is an ICO file?
ICO is the Windows icon format, used for favicons and application icons.
Is it free to convert PNG to ICO?
Yes. There are no limits, no watermarks and no account needed. Convert as many PNG files as you like.
Are my files private?
Completely. Your PNG files never leave your browser and are never uploaded to a server, so your images stay on your device.