Runs in your browser. Your files and text never leave your device - nothing is uploaded.
Click or drag a PNG image here
Includes multiple sizes in one .ico file (the standard favicon format), so the browser or OS picks the sharpest one for the context. Processing happens entirely in your browser.
Convert PNG to ICO Online
The Tools Kit’s free PNG to ICO converter turns a logo or image into a multi-size .ico file, the format browsers use for favicon.ico and Windows uses for desktop and shortcut icons. Pick which icon sizes to include, from 16x16 up to 256x256, and the converter packs them all into one file that downloads straight away.
Everything happens in your browser: the image is resized on a canvas and the .ico file is assembled on your device, so nothing is uploaded and there is no signup or watermark. PNG is the recommended input because it keeps transparency, but JPG and WebP images convert too.
How to Convert a PNG to an ICO File
- 1
Add your image
Click the upload area or drag a file onto it. PNG works best, and JPG or WebP files are accepted too. Use a square image of at least 256 by 256 pixels for the sharpest result.
- 2
Choose the icon sizes
Tick the sizes to include: 16, 32, 48, 64, 128 and 256 pixels. 16, 32, 48 and 64 are selected by default, which covers browser tabs and Windows.
- 3
Click Convert to ICO
The image is resized to each selected size in your browser and packed into a single .ico file.
- 4
Save the .ico file
The download starts automatically and keeps your original file name with an .ico extension. Rename it to favicon.ico if you are using it as a website favicon.
Icons are square, and the converter draws the whole image into each square size, so a wide or tall image is stretched rather than cropped. Square it up first with the image cropper, or use circle crop for a round icon on a transparent background.
Which Favicon Sizes to Include
- 16x16 — browser tabs, the address bar and bookmark lists at standard resolution.
- 32x32 — tabs on high-DPI screens, the Windows taskbar and many shortcut views.
- 48x48 — Windows Explorer and desktop icons at the default size.
- 64x64 — larger icon views and high-DPI scaling; cheap to include.
- 128x128 and 256x256 — large and extra-large Windows icon views. Useful for an application or desktop icon, but rarely needed in a website favicon.ico.
The default selection of 16, 32, 48 and 64 pixels is a sensible favicon.ico for most websites. Each extra size adds its own PNG data to the file, so ticking 128 and 256 mainly makes the favicon heavier without improving how it looks in a browser tab. If you also need separate PNG icons for other places, the favicon generator exports each size as its own PNG file.
How the ICO Format Works
An .ico file is a small container rather than a single picture. It begins with a 6-byte header that records how many images it holds, followed by a 16-byte directory entry for each image giving its width, height, bit depth, byte size and where its data starts. The image data comes after the directory. With the four default sizes, the header and directory take 6 + 4 × 16 = 70 bytes; with all six sizes, 6 + 6 × 16 = 102 bytes.
This converter stores each size as compressed 32-bit PNG data with its alpha channel, the PNG-in-ICO approach supported by Windows Vista and later and by every current browser. That keeps transparent edges clean and the file far smaller than uncompressed bitmap icons. One quirk of the format: a width or height byte can only go up to 255, so a 256-pixel image is recorded as 0, which software reads as 256.
Getting a Sharp, Transparent Icon
Start from the largest, cleanest version of your logo you have, ideally square and at least 256 by 256 pixels. Downscaling keeps detail, while upscaling a small image blurs the larger icon sizes. If your logo is a vector file, export it to a large PNG with the SVG to PNG converter before converting it here.
For a transparent favicon, the source must already have a transparent background. A JPG cannot store transparency, so convert it with JPG to PNG and remove the backdrop with the background remover first. At 16 pixels fine text and thin lines disappear, so a simplified mark or a single letter often reads better than a full wordmark.
Common uses
- Creating a favicon.ico for a website, blog or web app
- Making a custom Windows icon for a desktop shortcut or folder
- Supplying the .ico file a desktop app build tool or installer expects
- Replacing an old single-size favicon with a multi-size one that stays sharp on high-DPI screens
- Converting a transparent logo PNG into an icon without installing desktop software
For more converters and editors for logos and photos, browse the image tools collection.
ICO and favicon terms explained
| Term | What it means here |
|---|---|
| ICO | The Windows icon file format; one .ico file can hold several images of different sizes |
| Favicon | The small icon a browser shows in tabs, bookmarks and the address bar; favicon.ico is the traditional file name |
| ICONDIR | The 6-byte header at the start of an .ico file that records how many images it contains |
| ICONDIRENTRY | A 16-byte directory record per image giving its width, height, bit depth, byte size and position in the file |
| PNG-in-ICO | Storing each icon image as compressed PNG data inside the .ico, supported since Windows Vista and by modern browsers |
| Alpha channel | The transparency information in a PNG; it is kept, so transparent corners stay transparent in the icon |
Frequently Asked Questions
Upload the PNG, tick the icon sizes you want from 16 to 256 pixels, and click Convert to ICO. The image is resized to each size in your browser and the .ico file downloads automatically, with nothing uploaded to a server.
Yes. The converter is free, needs no account, adds no watermark and has no daily limit on conversions.
No. The image is read and resized with your browser’s canvas, and the .ico file is assembled in memory on your device. The file never leaves your computer.
A favicon.ico usually includes 16x16 for browser tabs, 32x32 for high-DPI tabs and the Windows taskbar, and 48x48 for Windows Explorer. The default selection of 16, 32, 48 and 64 covers these. Add 128 and 256 only if the .ico is meant for a desktop or application icon, since they make the file noticeably larger.
Yes. An .ico file is a container: it starts with a small directory listing each image, followed by the image data. This tool puts every size you tick into one file, so the browser or Windows picks the closest match instead of scaling a single image.
Yes. Each size is drawn on a transparent canvas and stored as 32-bit PNG data with its alpha channel, so a logo with a transparent background stays transparent in the icon.
Icons are square, and the tool draws the whole image into each square size, so a wide or tall image is stretched to fit. Crop the image to a square first to keep its proportions.
Yes. The file picker accepts PNG, JPG and WebP images. A JPG has no transparency, so its background will be solid in the icon; use PNG if you need transparent corners.
Start with a square image of at least 256 by 256 pixels, or larger than the biggest size you select. Shrinking a large image keeps detail, while enlarging a small one makes the bigger icon sizes blurry.
The file stores each size as PNG data inside a standard ICO container, which Windows Vista and later and all current browsers support. Very old software, such as Windows XP, expects bitmap-encoded icons and may not display it.
Rename the downloaded file to favicon.ico and place it in the root folder of your site, where browsers request it automatically. You can also reference it explicitly with a link tag in the page head, for example link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico".
Reviewed by Raja Jahangir · Last reviewed: October 7, 2026
How do you convert a PNG to an ICO favicon?
To convert a PNG to ICO, upload the image, tick the sizes to include from 16, 32, 48, 64, 128 and 256 pixels (16 to 64 are selected by default), and click Convert to ICO. Each size is resized in the browser and embedded as PNG data inside one .ico container, so browsers and Windows pick the sharpest match.
What sizes should a favicon.ico contain?
Include 16x16 for browser tabs and address bars, 32x32 for high-DPI tabs and the Windows taskbar, and 48x48 for Windows Explorer icons. Adding 64x64 is cheap insurance for large-icon views. 128 and 256 are rarely needed in a favicon.ico and mainly inflate the file; use separate PNGs for app icons at those sizes.