PNG to ICO converter — free online tool

Convert a PNG into a multi-size favicon.ico with 16, 32, 48, 64 and 256 px frames, each stored as 32-bit PNG data. Transparency kept. Runs in your browser.

Create standard icon sizes from one image without cropping its edges.

or drop one image anywhere on this page

favicon.ico includes 16, 32, 48, 64, and 256 px frames. PNG downloads use their displayed size; 180 px is saved as apple-touch-icon.png.

Choose an image.

Create ICO and PNG favicons

What to know

The ICO this page writes is a container, not a single picture. It holds five frames at 16, 32, 48, 64 and 256 px, and the program that opens it picks the best match for its context: a browser tab asks for 16 or 32, a Windows folder icon prefers 48 or 256. The file header is 6 bytes plus 16 bytes per frame, so 86 bytes of directory in front of the image data.

Each frame is stored as compressed PNG data tagged as 32 bits per pixel, which means a transparent PNG keeps its alpha channel and soft edges all the way into the ICO. A 256 px frame is recorded with a size byte of 0, which is how the format denotes 256. Windows Vista and later, and all current browsers, read PNG frames; very old software from the Windows XP era may not show the 256 px one.

The PNG is first fitted into a 512 px square without cropping, then reduced to each frame size, so a non-square image gets transparent bands rather than being stretched. A flat logo usually makes an ICO of only a few kilobytes, while a detailed picture can push it into the tens, since the 256 px frame holds most of the weight.

Name the download favicon.ico and place it at the site root, where browsers look by default before they read any link tag. Choose the ICO route when you need a single file for Windows shortcuts, legacy requests or a CMS upload form that insists on .ico.

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How to use PNG to ICO converter — free online tool
  1. Drop a transparent PNG, ideally square and 256 px or larger.
  2. Check the 16 and 32 px tiles in the preview.
  3. Press Download favicon.ico and wait for the status line to confirm the five frames.
  4. Upload favicon.ico to the site root, or to the field of your CMS that asks for an icon.

Quick answers

Which sizes are inside the ICO file?

Five frames: 16, 32, 48, 64 and 256 px. Viewers pick the closest match for where the icon is shown.

Does the ICO keep my PNG transparency?

Yes. Frames are stored as 32-bit PNG data, so alpha and soft edges carry over.

Will very old Windows read the 256 px frame?

Windows Vista and newer do. Software from the Windows XP era may ignore PNG-compressed frames, though the smaller sizes are the ones tabs use.

How big will the favicon.ico file be?

A flat logo typically gives a few kilobytes. A detailed or photographic PNG can reach tens of kilobytes because of the 256 px frame.