PNG to ICO Converter
Drop a square PNG, get a multi-size favicon.ico with transparency intact. Runs in your browser — no upload.
Drop your PNG file here
Converts to .ico — stays on your device
Why convert PNG to ICO?
- Generating favicon.ico for a WordPress site where the theme or plugin still expects the legacy /favicon.ico path.
- Adding a proper multi-size favicon to a Shopify theme so tab icons stay crisp on Retina displays.
- Producing favicon.ico for static sites built with Hugo, Jekyll, Eleventy, or Astro that ship a public/ folder.
- Creating icons for a Webflow site where the built-in favicon uploader accepts ICO for better legacy browser support.
- Making a desktop app icon on Windows for Electron, Tauri, or .NET projects that expect .ico files.
- Updating the favicon on an internal tool or admin panel that still relies on the classic /favicon.ico convention.
How our converter works
Your PNG is rasterized to six standard favicon sizes — 16, 32, 48, 64, 128, and 256 px — on an in-memory Canvas, then packaged into a single multi-resolution ICO file with a proper ICONDIR header and per-size directory entries. Transparency is preserved across every size. Since Windows Vista, ICO files have supported PNG-compressed entries natively, which keeps the output small despite containing six copies of your icon. Nothing is uploaded — the favicon never leaves your browser tab.
PNG vs ICO — what's the difference?
| Feature | PNG | ICO |
|---|---|---|
| Contents | One image | Multiple sizes bundled together |
| Typical use | Web graphics, UI assets | Favicons, Windows app icons |
| Transparency | Full alpha | Full alpha — preserved |
| Sizes | Whatever you export | 16, 32, 48, 64, 128, 256 px in one file |
| Best for | Everything else | /favicon.ico, Windows desktop icons |
Frequently asked questions
What is favicon.ico, and do I still need it?
favicon.ico is the file every browser, since 1999, fetches by default from /favicon.ico to display in the tab strip, bookmark bar, and history. Modern browsers also accept `<link rel="icon">` declarations pointing to PNG or SVG, but they still hit /favicon.ico as a fallback — and many platforms (RSS readers, search engine crawlers, corporate proxies, older browsers) only look at that path. Shipping a favicon.ico in 2026 is still the most robust setup, ideally alongside modern PNG/SVG declarations.
What sizes does the ICO contain?
Six: 16, 32, 48, 64, 128, and 256 px. Browsers and Windows Explorer pick the best match for where the icon is displayed — tab strip, bookmark bar, taskbar, or desktop.
Should my source PNG be square?
Yes. Favicons are square by convention and any non-square source gets stretched to fit. Start from a square PNG at least 256×256 for best results across all sizes.
Do I still need favicon.ico in 2026?
Not strictly — modern browsers read <link rel="icon"> tags for PNG and SVG favicons. But many platforms (WordPress themes, older CMSes, corporate proxies, RSS readers) still request /favicon.ico by default, so shipping one avoids 404 noise.
Is transparency preserved?
Yes. Each size inside the ICO keeps its full alpha channel, so round or non-rectangular favicons display cleanly against any browser theme.
How big will the output ICO be?
Typically 10–30 KB for a simple logo. The file is larger than a single PNG because it contains six sizes, but each size is PNG-compressed inside the ICO container.
Can I convert several PNGs at once?
Yes. Drop multiple PNGs and each one becomes its own .ico file. For batches over three files, the output is offered as a ZIP download.
How is this different from CloudConvert, Convertio, ICOConvert, or ConvertICO?
All four upload your PNG to their servers and run the conversion remotely. FormatFixer runs everything in your browser — the PNG never leaves your device. There's no daily file cap, no signup, and no paywall on large files. For public logos either approach works; for confidential brand assets (pre-launch identity, client kits under NDA), in-browser is the safer choice.
Can I make a Windows cursor (.cur) file with this?
Not directly. CUR files use the same container format as ICO with a different type byte and per-entry hotspot data. This tool produces standard ICO; for proper cursor files with hotspots, a Windows-native tool like IcoFX or RealWorld Cursor Editor is the right choice.
About the PNG format
ICO is Windows' icon container format, dating back to Windows 1.0 in 1985. Unlike PNG or JPG, an ICO isn't one image — it's a bundle of images at different sizes, all addressable from a single file. That's why /favicon.ico has survived as a web convention for three decades: one file serves a 16 px tab icon, a 32 px bookmark icon, and a 256 px taskbar icon without any negotiation. Since Windows Vista, ICO files can hold PNG-compressed entries, which keeps file sizes reasonable even with six sizes bundled. For web use, shipping /favicon.ico alongside modern <link rel="icon"> PNG/SVG tags is still the most robust approach.