Convert an image to ICO
Build an .ico — the favicon format — holding several sizes at once, from a PNG, a JPG or a logo. Nothing is uploaded.
Your file
Why use this tool
- No file size limit
- Nothing is uploaded
- No signup needed
An .ico is not a single image: it is a container holding the same picture at several sizes, and whatever is drawing it picks the one that suits. A browser takes 16 pixels for the tab, Windows takes 32 for a shortcut and 48 for a file list.
That is why a favicon made from one resized PNG looks worse than it should: the system has to shrink a large image on the fly. Putting the right sizes inside the .ico makes that decision in advance.
Need PNG icons, Apple and Android sizes too? Use the Favicon Generator for a complete website icon package.
How to convert an image to ICO
Drop in your image
A logo, an icon or any picture. JPG, PNG, WEBP and HEIC all work; a PNG with a transparent background is ideal for a favicon.
Choose the sizes
16, 32 and 48 are ticked, which is what a favicon actually needs. Add 256 if the file will double as a desktop icon.
Download the .ico
One file comes back with every size inside, ready to upload to the root of your site as favicon.ico.
Which sizes are needed
16 × 16 is the browser tab and the bookmarks bar: the size seen most often, and the least forgiving of detail. A logo with fine lettering simply disappears at it.
32 × 32 is used by shortcuts, by tabs on high-density screens and by a good deal of the operating system. 48 × 48 shows up in Windows file listings.
256 × 256 is only needed if the file will also serve as an application or desktop icon. It adds weight, so it is not ticked by default.
Fitted whole, not cropped
An .ico is square and many logos are not. Rather than cropping the edges to force a square, the image is fitted whole and the remainder padded: for an icon, losing part of the mark is worse than a little margin.
If the original has a transparent background, that margin stays transparent. If not, it is worth preparing a PNG with transparency first — remove the background or crop it round are the usual steps.
For a favicon, simpler is better. An initial, a shape or a symbol reads at 16 pixels; a full logo with a tagline does not.
Nothing is uploaded
It all happens in your browser: the image is resized on a canvas, each size is encoded as PNG, and those PNGs are packed into the .ico container right there.
The file never reaches a server, so there is no queue, no account and no daily limit, and the page keeps working offline once loaded.
It is the same packer that builds this site's own favicon, so the output format is exactly the one in use here.
What each size is for
Where each one ends up being shown.
| Size | Where it is used | Ticked by default? |
|---|---|---|
| 16 × 16 | Browser tab and bookmarks | Yes |
| 32 × 32 | Shortcuts and high-density screens | Yes |
| 48 × 48 | Windows file listings | Yes |
When people convert an image to ICO
A favicon for a website
The classic favicon.ico, carrying the three sizes browsers ask for, at the site root.
A desktop icon
A Windows shortcut with an icon of its own rather than the generic one.
A logo adapted for the tab
A simplified mark so it still reads at 16 pixels.
An icon for an application
An .ico with 256 included, for installers and shortcuts.
