PNG to ICO

Build a real multi-size Windows .ico from a PNG - in your browser, nothing uploaded.

Drop a PNG here or click to choose

Building your icon…

Need bulk icons or icon extraction?

The browser tool builds one .ico fast. Icon Maker converts whole folders and pulls icons out of EXE & DLL files.

Create icons from any image (ICO, PNG, ICNS)
All sizes 16-256 px packed in one file
Batch-convert whole folders at once
Extract icons from EXE & DLL files

SoftOrbits Icon Maker
Desktop app for Windows - batch icon maker

Download for Free

How to convert a PNG to an ICO icon

Drop your PNG above
Drag a PNG, JPG or WebP onto the box at the top of this page, or click it to pick a file. The image opens straight in your browser, with no upload and no waiting.
Pick the icon sizes
Tick the sizes you want inside the .ico. The full set runs 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 128 and 256 px. If you are not sure, keep 16, 32, 48 and 256, which cover the tab, the taskbar, the desktop and Explorer's jumbo icons.
Fit a non-square image
An icon has to be square. If your source is not, choose Fit and the tool centers it on transparent padding so a logo stays undistorted, or choose Stretch to fill the square edge to edge.
Build and download
Click Convert to ICO and save the file. You get one .ico that holds every size you picked, with full transparency, ready to drop in as a favicon, an app icon or a shortcut icon.

What this PNG to ICO converter does

A true multi-size icon

Most converters write a single bitmap, and then Windows scales it into a blurry mess everywhere else. This one writes each size you pick, from 16 to 256 px, as its own layer inside a single .ico, and the system picks the right layer for each spot on screen.

Full 32-bit transparency

Every layer is stored as 32-bit RGBA, so smooth alpha survives all the way down to 16x16. No 1-bit fallback, no jagged fringe, and no black rectangle showing up behind a transparent logo in the browser tab.

256 px stored as PNG

The 256x256 layer is saved as a compressed PNG stream inside the icon, the way Windows Vista and later expect it. That keeps the file small and lets it pass Inno Setup and Visual Studio, which reject an icon that has no 256 px entry.

Skip the tedious icon dance

Getting a Windows icon the old way is a chore. You open GIMP or Photoshop, build a copy at each size by hand, scale them one at a time, then wrestle with the export dialog and hope it did the right thing. Or you memorize a string of ImageMagick flags and still end up with the wrong result. Here you drop one file, tick a few boxes, and you are done in a few seconds.

No rebuilding the artwork at each size by hand in GIMP or Photoshop.
No cryptic ImageMagick command-line flags to look up.
No account, no watermark and no daily conversion cap.
A finished icon in a couple of seconds, in the tab you already have open.

Download for Free

What you need	This online converter	Icon Maker (desktop)
PNG, JPG or WebP to a multi-size .ico	Yes, in your browser	Yes
Keep full transparency at every size	Yes	Yes
Convert a whole folder in one pass	One image at a time	Batch mode
Touch up the 16x16 pixel by pixel	No	Built-in pixel editor
Pull icons out of an .exe, .dll or .icl	No	Yes
Animated icons and .cur cursors	No	Yes
Import BMP, GIF, TIFF, CUR and ANI too	PNG, JPG, WebP	Yes

Who converts a PNG to ICO

App developers

You are shipping a Windows program, an Electron or Tauri build, or an Inno Setup installer, and the build wants a real .ico with a 256 px layer. Make one here in a click instead of fighting ImageMagick flags.

Web designers

You have a brand logo and you need a favicon that stays crisp in the tab and keeps its transparent background. No layering sizes by hand in GIMP or Photoshop - drop the PNG and pick the sizes.

IT admins and power users

You set custom icons on desktop shortcuts, drives or folders across a few machines. Turn an internal logo into an .ico without handing it to an outside service first.

SoftOrbits Icon Maker

Languages

File Size

10.9 Mb

Version

1.8

Last updated on

10/06/26

$ 19.99

🖥️ System Requirements

Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 (32/64 bit)
Intel i3, AMD Ryzen 5 or above
4 GB of RAM or above
NVIDIA® GeForce® series 8 and 8M, Intel® HD Graphics 2000, Quadro FX 4800, Quadro FX 5600, AMD Radeon™ R600, Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330, Mobility FirePro™ series, Radeon™ R5 M230 or higher graphics card with up-to-date drivers
1280 × 768 screen resolution, 32-bit color
1 GB of free hard disk space or above

🙋 Frequently Asked Questions

❓ How do I make a .ico file from a PNG?

Drop the PNG on the box at the top of this page, tick the sizes you want, and click Convert to ICO. The tool reads your image in the browser, redraws it at each size, and packs everything into a single .ico you can download. There is nothing to install and nothing gets uploaded.

❓ Can I just rename a PNG to .ico?

No. Changing the extension does not change the file. Windows and browsers read the actual bytes, so a PNG renamed to .ico either gets ignored or shows a broken icon. A real .ico is a different kind of container that holds several sizes at once, and this converter builds that container for you.

❓ How do I turn a PNG into a desktop shortcut icon?

Convert the PNG here with the 48 and 256 px sizes ticked, then right-click your shortcut, choose Properties, then Change Icon, and point it at the .ico. The 256 px layer is what Windows shows in the large-icon and jumbo views.

❓ Can I convert a PNG to ICO in Paint?

Short answer: not properly. Long answer: Paint can save a picture, but it will not build a multi-size .ico with transparency, so you end up with a single flat bitmap that looks rough at other sizes. This converter writes every size you need into one file and keeps the alpha channel intact. Starting from a JPG instead? The steps are the same - see how to convert JPG to ICO.

❓ How do I save a PNG as an icon in several sizes?

Tick each size you need before you convert, anywhere from 16 up to 256 px. A safe default is 16, 32, 48 and 256. The 16 covers the browser tab, 32 the taskbar, 48 the desktop, and 256 Explorer's large view, and they all go into one .ico.

❓ Does it keep transparency, and which sizes should a .ico contain?

Yes. Every layer is written as 32-bit RGBA, so a transparent PNG stays transparent instead of picking up a black background. For sizes, 16, 32 and 48 cover the web and shortcuts; add 256 for modern Windows, and 24, 64 or 128 to fill the gaps when the display scales at odd factors.

❓ Is it free, and does my image get uploaded?

Short answer: free, and nothing is uploaded. Long answer: the whole conversion runs in your browser with HTML canvas, so your image never leaves your device, unlike cloudconvert or freeconvert, which send the file to a server. There is no account to make, no watermark and no daily limit.

❓ Can I convert a batch of icons, or edit them?

This online tool handles one image at a time. For a whole folder in one pass, pixel-level edits, or pulling icons out of an .exe, .dll or .icl, use the desktop SoftOrbits Icon Maker. It also writes .ICO, .ICL and .CUR, including animated icons and cursors.