JPG to ICO Converter

ICO is the icon format Windows has used since the very beginning, and it is still what browsers reach for when they want a favicon. If what you have is a JPG — a logo export, a photo, a scanned mark — this converter turns it into a proper icon file.

One thing to sort out first

JPEG cannot store transparency, so a JPG always arrives with a solid background, usually white. Converted straight to ICO, you will get a white square sitting in the browser tab or on the desktop.

If that bothers you — and it probably should for a logo — remove the background in an image editor first and export as PNG, then convert that. If the icon is a photograph, or the background colour is deliberate, converting the JPG directly is perfectly fine.

Converting your JPG to an icon

1. Crop the JPG to a square before you start. Icons are square and a rectangle will be distorted.
2. Upload the file using the box above.
3. Pick which icon sizes to include — 16, 32 and 48 pixels are the standard set.
4. Convert and download the .ico.
5. Use it as a favicon, an application icon, or a shortcut icon in Windows.

What ICO files are used for

• Website favicons — the small image in the browser tab, bookmark list and history.
• Windows application icons — the icon an executable or installer displays in Explorer.
• Desktop shortcuts — right-click a shortcut, choose Properties, and point it at your ICO.
• Folder icons — Windows lets you assign a custom ICO to any folder.
• Legacy software — plenty of older Windows tools accept only ICO for custom branding.

Keep it readable at 16 pixels

This is the part people underestimate. A photograph shrunk to 16 × 16 becomes an unrecognisable smudge. If the icon needs to communicate anything at all, use a bold simple shape or a single letter, and check it at real size before you ship it.

JPG to ICO questions