PNG to ICO Converter
A PNG logo or icon with a transparent background is the ideal starting point for an ICO file. This tool keeps that transparency intact, packs the sizes you choose into a single ICO, and does it all in your browser without uploading your artwork.
Quick answer: This page turns a PNG into a real .ico file holding the sizes you tick, picked from seven sizes between 16 and 256 pixels, with 16, 32 and 48 ticked at the start. Transparency is kept at every size, so a transparent background stays transparent. The conversion runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
Drop images here or click to browse
Most image formats up to 50 MB each
Your images never leave your device
Most image formats, up to 50 megabytes each Your images never leave your deviceHow to use the PNG to ICO
- Tick the sizes you need, anywhere from 16 to 256 pixels.
- Drop in your PNG, preferably square with a transparent background.
- Select Generate ICO and save the ICO file it downloads, named after your PNG.
Features
- Full alpha transparency, including soft edges and drop shadows.
- Each size is stored as a 32 bit image inside the ICO.
- Non-square artwork is fitted whole and centered on a transparent square.
- The artwork fills the icon edge to edge, with no padding added.
Can I convert PNG to ICO with a transparent background?
Yes, a PNG with a transparent background gives you an ICO with a transparent background. Every icon size is drawn onto a transparent square and saved as a 32 bit image, with eight bits each for red, green, blue and alpha. The alpha channel therefore survives in full. Anti-aliased edges, soft drop shadows and half transparent glows look the same in the ICO as they do in your PNG, instead of being reduced to the hard on or off transparency that early icon formats were limited to.
Measured with Imagenati: .ico file size by icon sizes
These numbers come from the real PNG to ICO page, run in Chrome 157.0.8103.38 on November 8, 2026, measured on the bytes of the .ico file that Generate downloads. The test file, logo-512.png, is a generated image, not a real logo: a 512 by 512 pixel PNG of 194,539 bytes showing a blue to violet rounded square with a white ring and a white dot on a transparent background. Each icon image is written by the browser's own PNG encoder, so another browser can give slightly different sizes, and a real logo will give its own. In these runs the 16 pixel image was 528, 484 and 451 bytes in different files, so a set is not the sum of the single size rows. Adding the 256 pixel size grew the default set from 4,845 to 41,045 bytes.
| Icon sizes inside the file (pixels) | Images in the file | .ico file size (bytes) |
|---|---|---|
| 16, 32 and 48, ticked when the page opens | 3 | 4,845 |
| 16, 32, 48 and 256 | 4 | 41,045 |
| 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 128 and 256, every size | 7 | 60,643 |
| 16 only | 1 | 473 |
| 32 only | 1 | 1,190 |
| 48 only | 1 | 2,703 |
| 256 only | 1 | 36,929 |
Why does my icon look small inside its square?
The tool fits the entire PNG canvas into each icon size, and that includes any empty transparent margin around your artwork. A logo exported with generous blank space on every side will shrink to a small mark in the middle of a 16 pixel icon. Trim the PNG so the artwork reaches close to its edges before converting, leaving a pixel or two of breathing room at most. A wide PNG is handled the same way: it is scaled to fit the width and centered, with transparent space added above and below.
Making the 16 pixel size readable
At 16 by 16 there are only 256 pixels to work with, so fine lines, small text and subtle shading blur together. Detailed artwork usually needs a simplified version for the smallest sizes: a single letter, one bold shape, or the symbol from your logo without its wordmark. Tick your sizes before adding the PNG, because the preview row is built when you drop the file. It then shows the artwork at each of them, so you can judge the small sizes before you generate the file.
Is a PNG the right starting file?
A PNG with a transparent background is the best starting point for this page. If your logo is a JPG on a white background, the JPG to ICO converter is the closer match. For any other image format, use the general ICO Converter. And when the icon is for a website, the Favicon Generator builds the ICO together with the PNG sizes and the web manifest.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a PNG into an icon file?
Tick the icon sizes you want, drop your PNG onto the page and select Generate ICO, which saves an .ico file named after your PNG. Each size you ticked is stored inside that one file as PNG data, the 256 pixel size included, and when you tick more than one size the page also offers those sizes as a ZIP of separate PNG files.
Are soft shadows and partly transparent pixels kept?
Yes. Alpha values between fully clear and fully solid are kept at every size, so feathered edges and shadows do not turn into hard outlines or a solid fringe.
Is any padding added around my image?
No. The artwork is scaled so its longer side touches the edges of the icon square. If you want breathing room, add a transparent margin to the PNG yourself, or use the Favicon Generator, which has a padding slider.
My logo is white on a transparent background. Will it show up?
It will vanish wherever the icon sits on a white or light surface, such as a light browser tab or a pale desktop. A thin dark outline, or a darker version of the logo, keeps it visible in both light and dark settings.
What if my PNG is smaller than 256 pixels?
When you drop the file, the tool warns you if a ticked size is larger than the picture, and it scales the artwork up for those sizes, which look soft. The warning is not repeated if you change the ticks afterwards. Either leave out the sizes above your PNG's dimensions before dropping it, or export a bigger version of the artwork.
Which sizes does Windows actually use?
Windows picks the closest size stored in the file for each place an icon appears, from small list views and the taskbar up to the extra large view in File Explorer, which uses 256 pixels. Including a wide spread of sizes means it rarely has to stretch one.
How is this different from the Favicon Generator?
This tool produces only an ICO, plus an optional ZIP of separate PNGs when you pick several sizes. The Favicon Generator builds a full set of website icons, including an Apple touch icon and a web manifest, and can also make an icon from text or an emoji.
Last updated .