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PNG to ICO Converter
This free PNG to ICO converter turns a PNG picture into a Windows icon (.ico) file right in your browser. Pick an icon size — 16, 32, 48, or 64 pixels — or include all four sizes in one file, and download the finished icon in seconds. Your image never leaves your device: the whole conversion runs on your own computer, with no upload, no queue, and no sign-up.
All processing happens in your browser. Your image is never uploaded to any server. Looking for the reverse direction? An ICO to PNG converter turns an icon back into a PNG image.
How it works
An ICO file is a small container built for icons. It starts with a short header that says "this is an icon file", followed by a directory that lists every picture stored inside, and then the picture data itself. Since Windows Vista, each picture inside an ICO file can be an ordinary PNG image, stored unchanged. That is exactly what this converter does: it takes your PNG, optionally resizes it to the icon size you picked, and wraps it in a valid ICO container with the correct header and directory entries. The result is a genuine .ico file that Windows, icon editors, and browsers accept as an icon.
The size you pick decides where the icon looks its best. 16 × 16 pixels is the small size used in lists, menus, and the taskbar. 32 × 32 pixels is the standard desktop icon size and the default here. 48 × 48 and 64 × 64 pixels are the larger sizes used for big icons, tiles, and high-resolution displays. Windows shows the same icon at many sizes in different places, so the "include all sizes" option is often the smartest choice: it stores 16, 32, 48, and 64-pixel versions in a single ICO file, and Windows picks the sharpest one for each spot instead of stretching a small picture up or squeezing a large one down.
Resizing is done on a drawing canvas in your browser. Your picture is scaled to fit inside a square of the chosen size, keeping its original shape — a wide logo is not squashed into a square, it is fitted with transparent padding on the sides. The background setting controls that padding: Keep transparency leaves it see-through, which is what you want for a logo or a cut-out shape, while Fill with white paints the padding white, which suits a photo or a picture that already has a solid background. Choosing Original size skips resizing entirely and stores your PNG exactly as it is, with its own width and height recorded in the directory entry.
Before anything is converted, the tool checks that your file really is a PNG. It reads the first eight bytes and looks for the PNG signature, the marker every genuine PNG starts with. A JPEG or a text file that was simply renamed to end in .png fails that check, and the tool tells you so instead of producing a broken icon. Files that pass are loaded in your browser, resized if needed, and written into the ICO file with plain JavaScript — no library is required, because the ICO format is simple enough to build byte by byte. Nothing is uploaded at any point, so the conversion works with no internet connection once the page has loaded, and your artwork stays private.
The finished icon is named from the file name box — by default icon.ico — and downloads straight to your computer. Use it as a desktop shortcut icon, a folder icon, an application icon, or a website favicon. If the icon looks blurry on your desktop, try the all-sizes option or start from a larger PNG: a sharp 256-pixel source makes a far cleaner 32-pixel icon than a 32-pixel source stretched up to fill a large tile.
Worked example
A small business owner has a round blue logo saved as logo.png, 256 × 256 pixels and 1,629 bytes, with a transparent background and a white square in the middle. She wants it as the icon for a desktop shortcut.
Step 1: She drops logo.png onto the converter. The tool checks the PNG signature, reads the picture, and shows a preview. The result line reads "logo.png ready — 256 × 256 pixels".
Step 2: She keeps the default settings: 32 × 32 pixels, transparency kept, file name "icon".
Step 3: She presses Convert to ICO. The logo is drawn onto a 32 × 32 canvas, keeping its round shape and transparent corners, and wrapped in an ICO container.
Step 4: She presses Download .ico to save the file as icon.ico.
The result is a valid ICO file of 1,338 bytes — smaller than the 1,629-byte PNG, because a 32-pixel picture holds far less data than a 256-pixel one. If she instead ticks "include all sizes", the same logo produces one ICO file of 6,531 bytes holding 16, 32, 48, and 64-pixel versions, so Windows can pick the sharpest size everywhere the icon appears.
FAQ
Will my ICO file work on Windows?
Yes. This converter wraps your PNG inside a standard ICO container, the format Windows has used for icons since Windows Vista. The resulting .ico file works as a desktop shortcut icon, a folder icon, an application icon, and a website favicon in Windows.
Which icon size should I choose?
Choose 16 pixels for small taskbar and list icons, 32 pixels for standard desktop icons, and 48 or 64 pixels for large icons and tiles. If you are unsure, tick the option to include all four sizes in one file — Windows then picks the sharpest size for each place the icon appears.
Does the ICO file keep the transparency of my PNG?
Yes. The PNG image is stored inside the ICO file unchanged, so transparent areas stay transparent and the icon has no white box around it. If your PNG has a solid background, the icon will show that background, so start with a PNG that has transparency if you want a clean cut-out icon.
Why is my ICO file a different size from the PNG?
Resizing changes the amount of picture data. A 256-pixel logo shrunk to a 32-pixel icon holds far fewer pixels, so the ICO file is usually smaller than the original PNG. Choosing all four sizes adds four pictures to one file, so that ICO is larger than any single-size version.
Are my images uploaded to a server?
No. Your PNG is read, resized, and wrapped into an ICO file entirely in your browser, using JavaScript running on your own device. Nothing is uploaded, so logos, artwork, and private images stay on your computer.