Convert PNG to ICO
Turn PNG images into ICO icons for favicons and Windows. Everything happens in your browser, so your images never leave your device.
Why convert PNG to ICO?
PNG keeps every pixel, but that makes photos heavy, and some places ask for a different format. ICO is the format browsers look for at /favicon.ico and the one Windows uses for app and shortcut icons.
Transparency is kept
Both PNG and ICO support transparency, so transparent areas carry over without a fill colour.
Favicons and Windows icons
Browsers still request /favicon.ico from websites, and Windows uses ICO for application and shortcut icons. Icons are square and the ICO format tops out at 256 × 256 pixels, so a square, simple PNG works best; fine detail disappears at 16 × 16.
Making a favicon from a PNG
Start with a square PNG with a transparent background, ideally 256 × 256 pixels, and keep the design simple: at 16 × 16 pixels fine detail disappears. Save the result as favicon.ico in your site's root folder, where browsers look for it.
PNG and ICO compared
| Property | PNG | ICO |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | No |
| Typical file size | Medium to large (photos get big) | Tiny |
| Best for | Screenshots, logos, graphics | Favicons, Windows icons |
| Support | Universal | Browsers (favicons), Windows |
Questions
What size should a favicon be?
Browser tabs mostly show favicons at 16 × 16 and 32 × 32 pixels, and high-density screens use larger versions. A clean, square source image keeps the icon legible at every size.
Will converting PNG to ICO reduce quality?
ICO stores icons losslessly, but the format tops out at 256 × 256 pixels, so start from a square PNG at that size or below and keep the design simple enough to read at 16 × 16.
Are my PNG images uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs in your browser, on your own device, so your images are never sent to a server. Once the page and converter have loaded, it keeps working even if your connection drops.