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 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.
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.