PNG to ICO Converter
Create a proper .ico file from a PNG, with every size you need packed into one icon. Transparency is kept and the preview shows each size before you download.
- Files stay on your device
- No sign-up
- Free to use
How to use PNG to ICO
- Drop a square PNG onto the upload area. JPG, WebP and SVG are also accepted.
- Tick the icon sizes to include. 16, 32 and 48 pixels cover favicons; add 256 for Windows application icons.
- Check the previews to make sure the design is still legible at small sizes.
- Select Create ICO and download the file.
PNG to ICO features
Multi-resolution icon
Bundles up to seven sizes in a single .ico so Windows and browsers can pick the best one.
Transparency preserved
The alpha channel of your PNG is carried into every size.
Per-size preview
See exactly how the icon looks at 16, 32, 48 pixels and above.
Non-square images handled
Images that are not square are centred on a transparent canvas rather than stretched.
Runs locally
Your artwork is processed in the browser and not uploaded.
When to use PNG to ICO
- Creating favicon.ico for a website's root folder.
- Making an icon for a Windows desktop shortcut or folder.
- Producing the application icon for an installer or executable.
- Converting a logo into an icon for a browser extension or legacy system.
PNG to ICO FAQ
Which sizes should a favicon.ico contain?
16 × 16, 32 × 32 and 48 × 48 are the sizes browsers and Windows request for favicons. Including all three in one file covers browser tabs, bookmarks and taskbar shortcuts.
Do I still need favicon.ico?
Modern browsers accept PNG and SVG favicons declared in the page head, but many tools and some browsers still request /favicon.ico by default. Providing it avoids missing-icon requests and covers older software.
What size should my source image be?
Use a square PNG of at least 256 × 256 pixels so every size can be produced by scaling down. Scaling a small image up makes icons blurry.
Why does my icon look blurry at 16 pixels?
Detailed logos do not survive being reduced to 256 pixels in total. Use a simplified mark, thicker strokes and high contrast for small sizes.
Will the ICO work on older Windows versions?
The file uses PNG-compressed entries, which Windows Vista and all later versions read. Windows XP requires uncompressed entries and is not supported.
What is inside an ICO file
An ICO file is a small container. It starts with a directory listing each image it holds, giving the width, height and the position of the image data, followed by the images themselves. The program displaying the icon reads the directory and picks the entry closest to the size it needs, which is why one .ico can look sharp in a browser tab, on the taskbar and in a large folder view.
Each entry can be stored as an uncompressed bitmap or as a PNG. PNG entries are smaller and support full alpha transparency, and they have been supported since Windows Vista. This converter scales your image to every selected size with high-quality smoothing and writes each one as a PNG entry.
Modern websites usually provide several icons rather than one. A favicon.ico in the site root covers older browsers and tools that request it automatically. A PNG or SVG icon referenced with a link tag gives modern browsers a sharp image, an apple-touch-icon of 180 by 180 pixels is used when the site is saved to an iPhone home screen, and a web app manifest lists larger icons for Android. Starting from one simple, high-contrast design that reads well at 16 pixels makes all of these easier to produce.