ICO to PNG Converter
Drop a .ico file (favicon, Windows icon, downloaded icon pack), get a PNG of the largest embedded size. Conversion runs in your browser.
Drop your ICO file here
Converts to .png — stays on your device
Why convert ICO to PNG?
- Pulling the highest-resolution image out of a downloaded favicon.ico for use as a logo asset.
- Converting Windows desktop or app icons (.ico) to PNG for use in design tools that don't open ICO directly.
- Extracting brand favicons from competitor sites for analysis, mood boards, or design-system audits.
- Re-sourcing legacy icon assets from old projects where only the .ico file survives.
- Converting downloaded icon packs (IconArchive, Icons8) to PNG so they can be edited in Photoshop or Figma.
- Inspecting what's inside a multi-size .ico to verify your favicon pipeline is producing the right sizes.
How our converter works
Your ICO file is parsed: the 6-byte ICONDIR header, then 16-byte ICONDIRENTRY records describing each embedded size, then the image payloads themselves. We pick the largest entry (typically 256×256 in modern ICOs) and either extract its PNG payload directly (for ICOs created since Windows Vista) or synthesize a BMP file from the legacy DIB payload and re-render to PNG. Nothing is uploaded — your favicon, app icon, or downloaded ICO never leaves your browser tab.
ICO vs PNG — what's the difference?
| Feature | ICO | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| Contents | Multiple sizes bundled together | One image |
| Typical use | Favicons, Windows app icons | Web graphics, UI assets, design files |
| Transparency | Yes (full alpha in modern ICOs) | Yes (full alpha) |
| Editor support | Sparse — Photoshop, GIMP via plugins | Universal — every editor, every version |
| Best for | Distribution to browsers / Windows | Editing, embedding, design work |
Frequently asked questions
Which size from the ICO does this give me?
The largest one. Modern favicon.ico files typically embed 16, 32, 48, 64, 128, and 256 px versions; we extract the 256 px PNG. If your ICO only contains smaller sizes, you'll get the largest available — upscaling won't add detail.
Can I extract a specific size instead?
Not from this single-output tool. To pull a smaller size, convert to PNG here, then resize down using our Resize Image tool. We can't upscale below the source's largest embedded resolution.
Will transparency be preserved?
Yes, for modern ICOs (PNG-encoded entries) — full alpha carries over. For legacy 24-bit BMP-encoded ICOs, the AND-mask transparency layer is not currently applied, so background pixels may appear opaque. This is rare in modern favicons.
Does this work on .cur (Windows cursor) files?
Yes — CUR files use the same container format as ICO with a different type marker. Drop a .cur and you'll get the largest cursor frame as PNG. The hotspot data isn't preserved (PNG doesn't have a hotspot concept).
How is this different from CloudConvert, Convertio, IcoConvert, or ConvertICO?
All four upload your file to their servers. FormatFixer parses the ICO bytes in your browser — nothing is uploaded. There's also no daily file cap, no signup, no paywall on large icons. For favicons of public sites it doesn't matter; for confidential brand assets, in-browser is safer.
Why does my ICO say it's truncated or invalid?
The .ico container has strict header constraints. If the file was renamed from another format (e.g., a PNG saved as 'icon.ico' without proper ICO encoding), the parser rejects it. To make a real ICO from a PNG, use our PNG to ICO converter.
About the ICO format
ICO is Windows' icon container format, dating to Windows 1.0 (1985). Unlike single-image formats like PNG or JPG, an ICO is a bundle: one file holds multiple resolutions of the same icon, addressable by size. That's why /favicon.ico has been the web's default favicon path for three decades — one file serves a 16 px tab strip and a 256 px taskbar without any negotiation. Decoding an ICO means picking the size you want and either extracting its PNG payload (in modern Vista+ ICOs) or rendering its BMP DIB payload through Canvas (in legacy ICOs). PNG is the natural target: lossless, universally editable, and the format every modern image tool actually wants. CUR (Windows cursor) files use an identical container with a different type byte, so the same decoder handles both.