ICO to PNG Converter

ICO is a container format, not really an image format. One file can hold several different sizes of the same icon, which is exactly why most image editors either refuse to open it or open only part of it. Converting to PNG gives you something every program understands.

What is inside an ICO file

A typical favicon contains a 16 × 16 version, a 32 × 32 version and often a 48 × 48 one, all bundled together. Windows or the browser picks whichever fits the context — a small tab, a large desktop shortcut, and so on.

When you convert to PNG you are extracting one of those images, normally the largest available, into a plain single-resolution file. The transparency comes across intact, so the result drops straight into a design tool.

Converting ICO to PNG

1. Upload the .ico file.
2. Pick which embedded size you want if more than one is present.
3. Convert the file.
4. Download the PNG.
5. Open it in any editor to modify or rebuild it.

Rebuilding a favicon from scratch

This is the most common reason people convert an icon back to PNG. A site inherited from a previous developer has a favicon.ico in the root and no trace of the artwork it was made from. Converting it to PNG gets you an editable starting point, even if the resolution is modest.

Once you have the PNG, redraw or clean it up at a larger size — 256 × 256 is a sensible master — and then generate a fresh ICO from that. Working forward from a large master always beats trying to polish a 32-pixel original.

Why you might need this

• Editing an existing favicon whose original source file has been lost.
• Pulling a company logo out of an application icon for use elsewhere.
• Reusing an icon in a design mockup or presentation.
• Auditing a website’s branding assets.
• Converting an old Windows icon collection into something modern software can read.

ICO to PNG questions