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PNG to ICO converter

Convert PNG to ICO in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.

I want ICO
90%
Icon sizes
How to make the SVG

Tracing suits logos, icons and flat artwork and scales cleanly. Photos are better kept as pixels inside the SVG.

16
50%
Dither Scatters black dots to suggest gray, instead of a hard cut-off.
Advanced 5
Keep the animation For animated GIF, WebP and APNG sources. Turn off to save just the first frame.
Rotate
Mirror horizontally
Mirror vertically

For an exact width and height, use the Resize Image tool instead.

Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B

Related conversions

Need it the other way round? Convert ICO to PNG

Other ways to convert PNG

Convert other formats to ICO

Read more about the PNG format and the ICO format, or see every image tool and all image conversions.

Should you convert PNG to ICO?

You need a favicon for a website or an icon for a Windows shortcut. ICO packs 16, 32, 48 and 256-pixel versions into one file.

Yes, if you need a favicon or a Windows icon. Start from a square PNG of at least 256 pixels, with a transparent background if it has one, so every size inside the ICO comes out crisp.

Bear in mind ICO is opens almost everywhere: it works in browsers (as a favicon) and Windows.

PNG is a lossless image format with full transparency; ICO is a small container that holds the same icon at several sizes. Use ICO for a favicon.ico at the root of a website, or an icon for a Windows program or shortcut.

PNG and ICO compared
Property PNG ICO
Compression Lossless Lossless
Transparency Yes Yes
Animation No No
Support Opens everywhere Opens almost everywhere
Best for Screenshots, logos, diagrams and anything with text or a transparent background Website favicons and Windows shortcuts
Introduced 1996 1985

How to convert PNG to ICO

  1. 01

    Add your PNG

    Drop your PNG image onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.

  2. 02

    Check the settings

    The output is already set to ICO. Change the quality if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the ICO

    Press convert and save the ICO. Several files come back together as a ZIP.

What changes when PNG becomes ICO

Nothing is discarded

PNG and ICO both keep every pixel, so the picture survives the move intact. You can convert back and forth as often as you like without it degrading.

Transparency is kept

PNG and ICO both support transparency, so transparent backgrounds and soft edges come through unchanged.

One ICO, every size

The ICO holds 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 128 and 256 pixel versions, each scaled from your PNG and centered on a transparent square. Browsers and Windows pick the size they need.

Expect a smaller file

ICO usually stores the same content in less space than PNG. PNG: A 12-megapixel photo is often 12–20 MB; a screenshot is usually 100 KB–1 MB. ICO: A full favicon with every size is usually under 100 KB.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of PNG and ICO, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.

Why it doesn’t upload

Changing a picture’s format is work your browser already knows how to do. Sending your photos to a server first only adds waiting and risk, so nothing is sent.

How to check for yourself

Worth knowing

  • About the PNG. Photographs saved as PNG balloon in size. A holiday photo that is 3 MB as JPG can be 15 MB as PNG, because lossless compression can do very little with the fine grain of a real photograph.
  • About the ICO. Renaming a PNG to favicon.ico works in some browsers and silently fails in others. A real ICO holds several sizes so each place picks the right one.
  • DDS, PSD, EXR, XWD and JPEG 2000 are read by the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.

Questions

Will converting PNG to ICO lose quality?

No. PNG and ICO are both lossless, so every pixel is kept.

Will the ICO be smaller than the PNG?

Expect a smaller file. ICO usually stores the same content in less space than PNG. PNG: A 12-megapixel photo is often 12–20 MB; a screenshot is usually 100 KB–1 MB. ICO: A full favicon with every size is usually under 100 KB.

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