PNG to ICO Converter: Make a Favicon or Windows Icon Free and Privately
A PNG to ICO converter packs a PNG picture into the Windows icon format, where a single .ico file holds the same image at several sizes. To do it free and privately, select your image in the tool above, tick the sizes you need and click Download ICO. Your browser draws every size and assembles the file, so nothing is uploaded, and the Network tab in DevTools will show that.
The program that shows an icon picks the closest stored size: a browser tab uses 16 × 16, a shortcut 32 × 32 or 48 × 48, and File Explorer's large views 256 × 256. Each size is drawn once when the icon is made, so small sizes are crisp instead of being shrunk on the fly. PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, BMP and SVG sources are accepted.
PNG to ICO Table of Use: Inputs and Results
| Your image | Setting | You get |
|---|---|---|
| A 512 × 512 PNG logo for a website | Favicon (16, 32, 48) preset | An .ico with 16, 32 and 48 px; rename it favicon.ico |
| The same logo for a Windows program | Windows app (16–256) preset | Six sizes: 16, 24, 32, 48, 64 and 256, the 256 stored as PNG |
| An 800 × 400 banner | Fit inside, Crop to square or Stretch | Transparent padding, a centre crop, or a distorted fill |
| An SVG logo | Any sizes | Each size drawn straight from the vector, so edges stay sharp |
| A 96 × 96 PNG with 256 ticked | Any | A warning that the 256 size will be enlarged and may look soft |
| A file for older icon software | Most compatible | 32-bit bitmaps below 256 px, PNG at 256 px |
Common icon sizes
| Size | Typically used for |
|---|---|
| 16 × 16 | Browser tabs, bookmarks, small icons in lists and menus |
| 24 × 24 | Small icons on Windows at 150% display scaling |
| 32 × 32 | Shortcuts, and 16 px icons at 200% scaling |
| 48 × 48 | Desktop and File Explorer medium icons |
| 64, 128, 256 | Larger views and higher display scaling; 256 is the largest ICO size |
PNG to ICO Converter Features
- Seven sizes (16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 128, 256) with three presets: Favicon, Windows app and All sizes. A preview tile shows every size, and small sizes are enlarged so you can judge them pixel by pixel.
- Three fit modes for non-square images: Fit inside, Crop to square (centre) and Stretch. Fit inside is the default.
- Sharp downsizing. Large rasters are reduced in halving steps with smoothing, and SVG sources are drawn directly at each size.
- Transparency kept through 8-bit alpha in every entry, plus the legacy 1-bit mask in bitmap entries.
- Two internal formats: Most compatible (recommended) or Smallest file (PNG for every size).
- SVG help. An SVG with only a viewBox keeps its proportions, and one with no size information is framed at the size a browser shows it, with a note explaining why.
- Browser only. No upload. The saved file is named after your image, for example
logo.ico, and a message reports its size.
How to Use the PNG to ICO Converter
- Click Select PNG Image or drop your image on the box. A square PNG of 256 × 256 px or more, with a transparent background, gives the sharpest result.
- If the image is not square, choose Fit inside, Crop to square or Stretch.
- Under Icon Sizes, tick the sizes you need or press a preset button.
- Keep Most compatible unless you want the smallest file, then click Download ICO.
- Change any setting and download again for another version, or click Convert Another to start with a new image.
Who Can Use the PNG to ICO Converter
Web developers adding a favicon.ico, Windows developers setting an application icon, and anyone customising a Windows shortcut: right-click it, choose Properties, then Change Icon, and browse to the .ico file. Prepare the artwork first. Trim it with the Image Cropper, cut out a background with Remove Background, or enlarge pixel art with the Pixel Art Scaler. JPG and WebP sources work directly; the JPG to PNG Converter and the WebP to PNG Converter are only needed for separate PNG copies, and the Image Resizer sets exact dimensions.
Simplify the design for 16 × 16, since thin lines and small text vanish at tab size, and preview it on light and dark backgrounds. For a full set of web icon files, try the Favicon from Image tool or the Favicon Generator. To pull the pictures back out of an existing icon, use the ICO to PNG Converter.
PNG to ICO FAQs
How do I convert a PNG to an ICO file for free?
Click Select PNG Image or drop a file on the box, tick the icon sizes you need or press a preset, choose how a non-square image should fit, and click Download ICO. You get one .ico file holding every size you ticked, with transparency intact. The tool converts one image at a time; use Convert Another for the next.
Which sizes should I put in my ICO file?
For a website favicon, 16, 32 and 48 pixels cover browser tabs, bookmarks and Windows shortcuts. For a Windows program or shortcut, include 16, 24, 32, 48 and 256, and 64 helps at some display scaling settings. The Favicon (16, 32, 48) and Windows app (16–256) preset buttons select these in one click.
How do I use the ICO as a favicon?
Name it favicon.ico and put it in the root folder of your site; browsers look for /favicon.ico automatically. You can also declare it with <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" sizes="any"> in the page head. For phones, add a 180 × 180 PNG as an apple-touch-icon as well.
Is transparency kept when I convert PNG to ICO?
Yes. Every size is stored with a full 8-bit alpha channel, so transparent backgrounds and soft anti-aliased edges are preserved. Bitmap entries also get the 1-bit mask that very old versions of Windows use. A JPG source has no transparency of its own, so only the padding added by Fit inside is transparent.
What happens if my image is not square?
Icons are square, so you choose. Fit inside keeps the whole image and adds transparent padding. Crop to square keeps the centre and cuts off the sides. Stretch fills the square but distorts the picture. The size previews update at once, so you can compare before downloading.
What is the difference between Most compatible and Smallest file?
An ICO holds one image per size, stored as a bitmap or as PNG. Most compatible uses 32-bit bitmaps below 256 pixels and PNG at 256 × 256, the layout of Windows' own icons. Smallest file stores every size as PNG, which browsers and Windows Vista or later read, but some older programs and icon tools cannot.
Is it safe to convert PNG to ICO online?
With this converter, yes. Your browser draws each icon size and assembles the ICO file on your device, so the image is never uploaded to ZipConvert or anyone else. You can confirm that in the Network tab of DevTools, where no request carries your image.