PNG to ICO Converter

PNG to ICO Converter: Make a Favicon or Windows Icon

Convert PNG images to ICO in your browser: a favicon for your website or an icon for a Windows program, with several sizes in one file and transparency kept. Nothing is uploaded: the conversion runs on your device.

How to convert PNG to ICO

1. Drop your PNG file into the box above or click it to choose it. Each PNG becomes its own ICO file.
2. Tick the sizes you need (16, 32 and 48 are chosen for a favicon).
3. Download the ICO, or all of them in a ZIP if you added several pictures.

What sizes does an icon need?

• 16 × 16: browser tabs and bookmarks on normal screens.
• 32 × 32: tabs on high-density screens, the Windows taskbar and desktop shortcuts.
• 48 × 48: Windows desktop icons and Google search results (Google asks for a favicon that is a multiple of 48 pixels).
• 64, 128 and 256: large icons in Windows Explorer and application icons. 256 × 256 is the largest size an ICO can hold.

Pick all the sizes you need: they are packed into one ICO file and the browser or Windows takes the best one. For a website 16, 32 and 48 are enough; for a Windows program add 64, 128 and 256.

How to use favicon.ico on a website

1. Save the file as favicon.ico in the root of your site: browsers and search engine robots ask for /favicon.ico on their own.
2. Optionally point to it in the <head> of your pages: <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" sizes="any">
3. For phones add a 180 × 180 PNG as <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/apple-touch-icon.png">.
4. Browsers keep favicons in the cache for a long time: reload the page with Ctrl+F5 or open the site in a private window to see the new icon.

Tips for a good icon

• Start from a square picture of at least 256 × 256 pixels, better 512 × 512. A picture that is not square is fitted into the square and the empty sides stay transparent; nothing is cropped or stretched.
• Keep the design simple: fine details and small text disappear at 16 × 16.
• Use a PNG with a transparent background if the icon should not be a square block.

About the file format

ICO is a container for several pictures of different sizes. Here every size is stored as a PNG inside the ICO, which keeps transparency and soft edges. Every modern browser and Windows (since Vista) read this kind of ICO. Very old programs of the Windows XP era may not.

Convert PNG to ICO without this tool

• ImageMagick: magick input.png -define icon:auto-resize=256,48,32,16 favicon.ico
• GIMP: File → Export As, name the file with the .ico extension.

Frequently asked questions

Is the PNG to ICO converter free and private?

Yes. No registration, no watermark, and your pictures are not uploaded.

Is the transparency kept?

Yes. Transparent areas of the PNG stay transparent in every size of the icon.

Which sizes should I choose for a favicon?

16, 32 and 48. Add 256 if the icon is also used in Windows.

Can I use the ICO as a favicon in every browser?

Yes. All current browsers read it. Modern browsers also accept PNG and SVG favicons, but a favicon.ico in the site root is still the safest default.

What about JPG pictures?

Use the JPG to ICO converter. To convert between PNG and JPG see the PNG to JPG converter.