PNG to ICO Converter
Create a real multi-size .ico from a PNG: pick 16 to 256 px sizes, choose PNG or classic BMP entries, and keep transparency — for favicons, Windows shortcuts and app icons.
PNG to ICO Converter
🔒 Processed on your device with the browser's own image engine — nothing is uploaded, and re-encoding strips EXIF metadata such as GPS location.
Drop files on the left — or tap a sample above.
- PNGLossless (Deflate) · 1–16 bits per channel, palette or true colour · alpha: Full 8-bit alpha
- ICOBMP (uncompressed) or PNG entries · 1–32 bits per pixel · alpha: Yes (AND mask or 8-bit alpha)
- TipFor favicon.ico, 16, 32 and 48 px are enough; for Windows apps and shortcuts include 256 px.
- PrivacyFiles never leave your device; re-encoding drops EXIF/GPS metadata.
Format facts checked October 2026.
Runs in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded or stored.
Scratchpad auto-saved
How it works — in four simple steps
No signup and nothing to install — it all runs in your browser.
Add PNG files
Drop, choose or paste them — or press the sample preset above.
Set the ICO options
For favicon.ico, 16, 32 and 48 px are enough; for Windows apps and shortcuts include 256 px.
Convert
Press Convert — results appear with a before/after slider, sizes and format details.
Download
Save each file or everything as a ZIP.
For favicon.ico, 16, 32 and 48 px are enough; for Windows apps and shortcuts include 256 px.
Features
Real multi-size icons
Any combination of 16–256 px sizes in one .ico, as PNG or classic BMP entries, padded or cropped to square.
Batch + before/after
Convert many files at once, compare with the slider, download individually or as a ZIP.
Nothing uploaded
Decoding and encoding run in your browser tab; the files never leave your device.
About the PNG to ICO Converter
An .ico file is a container holding several sizes of the same icon, so Windows can show the right one in the taskbar (16–32 px), desktop (48 px) and large-icon views (256 px), and browsers can use it as favicon.ico. A single resized PNG renamed to .ico isn't the same thing.
The PNG is decoded by your browser, alpha included.
The ICO is assembled by our own encoder: each size is rendered from your image with high-quality stepped downscaling, then stored either as a PNG entry (compact; Windows Vista and later) or as a classic 32-bit BMP entry with an AND transparency mask (works on every Windows version), behind a standard ICONDIR directory.
PNG vs ICO compared
| Property | PNG | ICO |
|---|---|---|
| Origin / standard | W3C 1996 · ISO/IEC 15948 | Microsoft Windows 1.0 (1985); PNG entries since Vista |
| Compression | Lossless (Deflate) | BMP (uncompressed) or PNG entries |
| Transparency | Full 8-bit alpha | Yes (AND mask or 8-bit alpha) |
| Colour depth | 1–16 bits per channel, palette or true colour | 1–32 bits per pixel |
| Animation / pages | APNG extension | No (several sizes in one file) |
| Maximum size | 2³¹ − 1 px (practically memory-bound) | 256 × 256 px per image |
| Typical use | Screenshots, UI, logos, web graphics | Favicons, Windows app and shortcut icons |
| Opens in | Everything | Windows, browsers |
Measured on our sample
What this page produced from its built-in sample (a 960 × 640 PNG), with each preset:
| Setting | Input | Output | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default settings | 557.0 KB · 960 × 640 | 58.8 KB | ICO · 16 BMP, 32 BMP, 48 BMP, 256 PNG |
Measured with this page’s converter in Chromium (October 2026). Press the sample preset above to reproduce; your own images will differ with their content.
Things to know
- Start square and large. Use a square PNG of at least 256 × 256. Non-square images are padded with transparency (or cropped, if you choose Cover).
- Small sizes need simple artwork. Detailed logos turn to mush at 16 px. If possible, use a simplified mark for the smallest sizes.