How to Convert PNG or JPG to ICO and Check the Sizes
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Short answer: open Imgovo’s Image to ICO tool, add a PNG, JPG, WebP or SVG, tick the sizes you want (for a website: 16, 32 and 48 px), choose how the image fits the square and download the .ico file. To check an existing icon, drop it into the ICO Viewer. Both tools run in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
What an ICO file is
An .ico file is a container. Inside it are several small pictures, called layers, each with its own size. Windows, browsers and other programs pick the layer that fits best for the place where the icon is shown: a tab, a taskbar, a shortcut or a folder. That is why a good icon file has more than one size.
Which sizes to choose
| Use | Sizes |
|---|---|
| Website favicon | 16, 32, 48 px |
| Windows program or shortcut | add 64, 128, 256 px |
| Everything | 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 96, 128, 256 px |
The tool has two shortcuts: Website: 16, 32, 48 and All sizes. Each ticked size is stored as its own picture, so more sizes make a bigger file.
Step by step
- Open Image to ICO and drop an image on the page, click to choose one, or paste from the clipboard. A square image with a transparent background works best.
- Choose the Sizes inside the file.
- Under Shape, choose Crop to square (fills the whole square and cuts off the edges of a wide image) or Fit whole image (keeps everything and adds empty space at the sides).
- Choose a Background: transparent or a color. Adjust Padding and Rounded corners if you like.
- Check the Layers preview.
- Click Download .ico file.
Every layer is drawn from your image at its exact size, instead of shrinking one big picture afterwards. After creating the file, Imgovo reads it back and checks it.
Design for small sizes
At 16 × 16 pixels, fine detail disappears. Use a bold shape, one or two letters or a simple logo, and leave a little padding. If your logo has a background you do not want, remove it first; see How to remove the background from a photo.
Look inside an .ico file with the ICO Viewer
Not sure what an icon file contains? Open the ICO Viewer and drop the file on the page. For every layer it shows:
- the size,
- the color depth,
- whether the layer is stored as PNG or as an older bitmap (DIB),
- the number of bytes it uses,
- the picture itself on a checkerboard, so transparency is visible.
You can save a single layer as a PNG file, or use Save all layers as PNG (ZIP). The viewer shows PNG layers and uncompressed bitmap layers with 1, 4, 8, 24 or 32 bits per pixel, including their transparency mask. A layer with another compression is listed with a note but cannot be drawn. If the size announced in the file’s directory differs from the real size of the picture, the viewer shows the real size and adds a note.
A full favicon set
An .ico is only one part of a website icon set. For PNG favicons, an Apple touch icon, Android icons, an optional SVG favicon, a manifest and the lines to paste into your pages, use the Favicon Generator and read How to make a favicon.
Privacy
The ICO file is created and read in your browser. Your image never leaves your device.
Try it now
Open Image to ICO, add your image and download an icon with the sizes you need.
Frequently asked questions
Which sizes should an ICO file contain?
For a website favicon, 16, 32 and 48 px are enough. For a Windows program or shortcut, add larger sizes such as 64, 128 and 256 px. Every size you tick is stored as its own picture, so a bigger selection makes a bigger file.
Why is one ICO file made of several pictures?
An ICO file is a small container. Each layer is a separate picture with its own size, and the system or browser picks the layer that fits best. Imgovo draws every layer from your image at that exact size instead of shrinking one big picture afterwards.
Are the layers stored as PNG?
Yes. Each layer is written as a PNG picture inside the ICO file, which keeps transparency and is supported by current browsers and by Windows since Vista. Very old programs may only understand the older bitmap layers.
Why is my image cut off?
Icons are square. Crop to square fills the whole square and cuts the edges of a wide image. Fit whole image keeps everything and adds empty space at the sides, which can be transparent or a color.
Can the ICO Viewer open a .cur cursor file?
No. Cursor files look similar to icons but contain hot spot positions and use a different type number. The viewer is for icons only and tells you so.
Do I need Image to ICO or the Favicon Generator?
Use Image to ICO when you only need the .ico file. Use the Favicon Generator when you also want PNG, Apple and Android icons, an SVG favicon, a manifest and the HTML lines.