Free tool
PNG to ICO converter
This free png to ico converter turns a PNG or JPG into a real, multi-size Windows .ico favicon in seconds. Pick your sizes, auto-crop to square if needed, and download a proper favicon.ico plus a full PNG icon set — no upload, no watermark, no account.
PNG to ICO converter
Turn a PNG or JPG into a real, multi-size Windows .ico favicon — built in your browser, no upload required.
Drop a PNG or JPG here, or click to browse
A square image (512×512 or larger) gives the sharpest favicon
Everything happens locally in this browser tab using the HTML canvas API — your image is never uploaded to a server.
What is an .ico file?
.ico (icon) is a Windows image container format designed to hold one or more small bitmap images inside a single file. Unlike a PNG or JPG, which stores exactly one image, an ICO file can bundle several sizes of the same icon — say 16×16, 32×32, and 48×48 — so the operating system (or a browser) can pick whichever size fits the context: a tiny browser tab, a desktop shortcut, or a taskbar icon.
That multi-resolution design is exactly why .ico is still the default favicon format after almost 30 years on the web. When you save an ICO with several embedded sizes, browsers automatically choose the sharpest one for wherever they display it, instead of stretching a single image up or down and losing quality.
Historically, each image inside an .ico was stored as an uncompressed Windows bitmap (BMP/DIB). Modern Windows (Vista and later) and every current browser also accept PNG-compressed image data inside the same ICO container — which is what this tool generates. PNG-in-ICO gives you crisp transparency, much smaller file sizes, and full compatibility with modern operating systems and browsers, which is why it's the approach used by most favicon generators today.
Favicon sizes explained
“Favicon” (favorite icon) refers to the small icon that represents your site in a browser tab, bookmark, history entry, or search result. Different surfaces request different pixel sizes, so a good favicon setup provides several:
| Size | Used for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 16×16 | Browser tab, bookmarks bar | The smallest, most common favicon size — every browser tab uses this. |
| 32×32 | Taskbar, desktop shortcuts, high-DPI tabs | Standard Windows shortcut icon and the retina-friendly tab size. |
| 48×48 | Windows site shortcuts | Used when a site is pinned or installed as a desktop shortcut on Windows. |
| 64×64 / 128×128 | Larger desktop icons, some app launchers | Optional but useful for higher-resolution displays and desktop app icons. |
| 180×180 | Apple touch icon (iOS home screen) | Served as a separate PNG, not inside the ICO — iOS ignores .ico files. |
| 192×192 / 512×512 | Android home screen, PWA manifest | Required sizes for a installable Progressive Web App icon set. |
This tool lets you bundle 16, 32, 48, 64, 128, and 256px into a single .ico, and separately generates the 180, 192, and 512px PNGs you need for mobile home screens and PWA manifests in the ZIP download.
Modern favicon setup: the HTML snippet
A single favicon.ico at your site root used to be enough, but modern browsers, iOS, and Android each look for slightly different files. The most reliable setup combines your ICO with a couple of PNGs and a few <link> tags in your page <head>:
<link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" sizes="any">
<link rel="icon" href="/icon-192.png" type="image/png" sizes="192x192">
<link rel="icon" href="/icon-512.png" type="image/png" sizes="512x512">
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/apple-touch-icon-180.png">favicon.icowithsizes="any". Browsers that still expect a root-levelfavicon.ico(and there are many) will find it automatically even without the link tag, but declaring it explicitly avoids a wasted request in some browsers.- PNG
iconlinks. Modern Chrome, Firefox, and Edge prefer a crisp PNG over the ICO when one is declared, soicon-192.pngandicon-512.pngcover high-resolution displays and double as your PWA manifest icons. apple-touch-icon. iOS Safari ignoresfavicon.icoentirely for the home-screen icon — it specifically looks forapple-touch-icon, ideally 180×180 with no transparency (iOS adds its own rounded corners and background).
Download the ZIP from the tool above to get all four files pre-named to match this snippet — drop them in your public/ folder (or site root) and paste the snippet into your <head>.
How to convert a PNG to ICO
- Drop your image. Use a PNG or JPG — ideally square and at least 512×512px so every embedded size stays sharp.
- Crop to square if needed. If your image isn't square, the tool offers a center-crop toggle so favicons don't come out stretched.
- Pick your sizes. 16, 32, and 48px cover almost every use case; add 64, 128, or 256 if you also want a sharp large icon.
- Generate and download. Click Generate icon, then download
favicon.icodirectly, or grab the full PNG set as a ZIP along with the HTML snippet.
Why not just rename a PNG to .ico?
Simply renaming a .png file to .ico doesn't work reliably. The file extension doesn't change the underlying byte structure — a renamed PNG is still a PNG file wearing an.ico label, and while a handful of modern browsers may render it by accident, most operating systems, older browsers, and anything reading the ICO header correctly will fail to load it or show a broken icon.
A real .ico file needs a proper ICONDIR header describing how many images it contains, followed by an ICONDIRENTRY for each size (width, height, color depth, and a byte offset), followed by the actual image data. This tool builds that structure from scratch in your browser — reading each PNG-encoded size, writing the header and directory entries with a DataView, and concatenating everything into one valid binary file — so what you download is a spec-correct ICO, not a relabeled PNG.
Is this PNG to ICO converter safe and private?
Yes. Every step — decoding your image, cropping, downscaling, PNG encoding, and assembling the final ICO binary — happens locally in your browser using the canvas API and typed arrays. Your image is never uploaded to a server, there's no file size limit beyond what your device can handle, and it works offline once the page has loaded. That makes it safe to use for unreleased logos, client branding, or anything else you'd rather not send to a third-party service.
Who needs a PNG to ICO converter?
- Web developers & designers generating a favicon set for a new site or rebrand.
- WordPress, Shopify & Webflow site owners who need a proper
favicon.icotheir platform accepts. - Windows app & installer builders who need multi-size .ico icons for executables and shortcuts.
- Open-source maintainers adding a repo or docs-site favicon without installing design software.
- Agencies producing consistent favicon sets across many client sites.
- Indie hackers & solo founders shipping a polished favicon without a Photoshop or ImageMagick workflow.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best image to start from for a favicon?
- A square PNG at least 512×512px with a transparent background works best. Simple logomarks or monogram icons stay legible at 16px far better than detailed illustrations or full logos with text.
- What sizes should I include in my favicon.ico?
- 16, 32, and 48px cover the vast majority of use cases (browser tabs, bookmarks, and Windows shortcuts). Add 64, 128, or 256px only if you need a sharp large icon for desktop shortcuts or app launchers.
- Can I convert a JPG to ICO, or does it have to be PNG?
- Both work. JPG has no transparency, so any transparent-looking area in your source will be filled with white in the output — PNG is recommended when you need a transparent background.
- Why does my favicon need to be square?
- Every ICO size (16×16, 32×32, etc.) is a square canvas. A non-square source gets center-cropped by default so nothing looks stretched — you can turn that off if you'd rather stretch to fit instead.
- Do I still need a favicon.ico in 2026, or just PNG icons?
- Both. Most modern browsers now prefer a PNG icon link, but many still fall back to requesting /favicon.ico automatically, and some older browsers and tools only support ICO. Shipping both is the safest setup.
- Is there a file size limit or watermark?
- No. Conversion runs entirely in your browser, so there's no upload cap, no watermark, and no account required — just drop an image and download your favicon.