PNG to ICO Converter

Every website needs a favicon, and the classic way to ship one is still a favicon.ico sitting in your root directory. ICO is not just a renamed image — it is a container that holds several sizes at once, so the browser can pick the right one for a tab, a bookmark bar, or a pinned desktop shortcut.

Why ICO instead of just using the PNG

Modern browsers are perfectly happy with a PNG favicon declared in a <link> tag, and you should absolutely use one. But browsers also look for /favicon.ico by default, with no markup at all, and some older ones will only accept ICO. Shipping both covers every case for the cost of one small file.

The other advantage is that a single ICO holds multiple resolutions. A 16 × 16 icon drawn properly at that size looks far sharper than a 512 px logo squashed down by the browser.

Making a favicon from a PNG

1. Start with a square PNG. 256 × 256 is a good source size.
2. Upload it using the box above.
3. Choose the icon sizes you want bundled in — 16, 32 and 48 covers the essentials.
4. Convert and download your .ico file.
5. Rename it to favicon.ico and drop it in your site’s root directory.

Designing an icon that survives being tiny

• Simplify hard. At 16 pixels square, a detailed logo turns into grey mush.
• Use one strong shape or a single letter rather than your full wordmark.
• Keep contrast high so it stays visible against both light and dark browser themes.
• Test it at actual size before you commit — zoomed in, everything looks fine.
• Leave a little padding at the edges so it does not feel cramped in the tab.

Where to put the file

Upload it to the very top level of your site so it resolves at https://yourdomain.com/favicon.ico. Browsers cache favicons aggressively, so if you are replacing an old one, expect to hard-refresh or wait a while before you see the change.

Favicon questions