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ICO File Format

Windows Icon category

ICO is the Windows icon format. A single ICO file can bundle several sizes (16×16 up to 256×256) of the same icon, used for shortcuts, application icons and website favicons.

Typical use: Websites still expect a favicon.ico in the site root and Windows apps need ICO resources — converting from PNG takes seconds.

About the ICO format

ICO is the Windows icon container, and one of the oldest formats still in daily use. A single ICO file bundles several renderings of the same icon — 16×16, 32×32, 48×48 up to 256×256 — so Windows can pick the right sharpness for shortcuts, Explorer views and taskbars. Each member is stored as classic BMP data or, for large sizes, PNG compression.

On the web, favicon.ico at the site root remains the one icon request every browser makes automatically, which keeps the format alive despite cleaner alternatives like PNG and SVG icons. Keep ICOs small: every visitor downloads one.

Strengths

  • ✓ Multiple sizes bundled in one file
  • ✓ Every browser falls back to /favicon.ico automatically
  • ✓ Deep Windows integration for app icons

Limitations

  • ✗ Practical size ceiling around 256×256
  • ✗ Windows-centric; little use outside icons
  • ✗ Quality is frozen at export time
Compression
BMP members, PNG for large sizes
Transparency
Supported (1-bit or alpha)
Animation
No (that is .cur/.ani)
Metadata
None
Best for
Favicons and Windows app icons

Convert ICO to…

48 direct directions plus 12 workflows, sorted A–Z; 🔥 marks popular targets.

ICO to AVIF Hot ICO to BMP Hot ICO to CIN ICO to CUR ICO to DCX ICO to DDS ICO to FARBFELD ICO to FITS ICO to GIF Hot ICO to GRAY ICO to GRAYA ICO to HDR ICO to J2C ICO to J2K ICO to JFIF ICO to JP2 ICO to JPE ICO to JPEG Hot ICO to JPG Hot ICO to JPT ICO to JXL ICO to OTB ICO to PALM ICO to PBM ICO to PCL ICO to PCX ICO to PDF Hot ICO to PFM ICO to PGM ICO to PNG Hot ICO to PNG24 ICO to PNG8 ICO to PNM ICO to PPM ICO to QOI ICO to RAS ICO to SIXEL ICO to SVG Hot ICO to SVGZ ICO to TGA ICO to TIF ICO to TIFF Hot ICO to UYVY ICO to VICAR ICO to WebP Hot ICO to XBM ICO to XPM ICO to XV

Cross-engine workflows

ICO to 7Z ICO to APK ICO to JAR ICO to TAR ICO to TAR.BZ2 ICO to TAR.GZ ICO to TAR.XZ ICO to TBZ2 ICO to TGZ ICO to TXZ ICO to WIM ICO to ZIP

Convert other files to ICO…

AVIF to ICO Hot BMP to ICO Hot CIN to ICO CUR to ICO DCX to ICO DDS to ICO FARBFELD to ICO FITS to ICO GeoTIFF to ICO GIF to ICO Hot GRAY to ICO GRAYA to ICO HDR to ICO HEIC to ICO Hot HEIF to ICO J2C to ICO J2K to ICO JFIF to ICO JP2 to ICO JPE to ICO JPEG to ICO Hot JPG to ICO Hot JPT to ICO JXL to ICO OTB to ICO PALM to ICO PBM to ICO PCL to ICO PCX to ICO PFM to ICO PGM to ICO PNG to ICO Hot PNG24 to ICO PNG8 to ICO PNM to ICO PPM to ICO PSB to ICO PSD to ICO Hot QOI to ICO RAS to ICO RAW to ICO Hot SIXEL to ICO SVG to ICO Hot SVGZ to ICO TGA to ICO TIF to ICO TIFF to ICO Hot UYVY to ICO VICAR to ICO WebP to ICO Hot XBM to ICO XPM to ICO XV to ICO

Frequently asked questions

What is a ICO file?

ICO is the Windows icon format. A single ICO file can bundle several sizes (16×16 up to 256×256) of the same icon, used for shortcuts, application icons and website favicons.

How do I convert ICO files online?

Pick a target format from the "Convert ICO to…" list below, drop your file and hit convert. Everything runs in your browser — no install, no upload, no watermark, no limits.

Is it safe to convert ICO files here?

Yes. Every conversion is performed by your own device inside the browser — files never leave for a server, and the page keeps working even offline.

Which formats can ICO convert to?

This page lists all 60 directions across documents, images, audio, video, spreadsheets and archives — each one is its own free converter page.