Stayput

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Convert PNG to ICO

One .ico with every size Windows and browsers ask for, transparency intact, made on your device.

Drop PNG files hereor click to choose files. Batches welcome.

    Working…

    Done

    Your files are processed on this device and never sent to a server. Reload the page to clear everything from memory.

    An ICO file is not one picture but a small bundle of them. Windows picks the 16 pixel image for a title bar, 32 or 48 for a desktop shortcut and 256 for large icon view, and browsers read the 16 and 32 pixel entries of a favicon.ico. Renaming a .png to .ico does not create that bundle, which is why a renamed file often shows up blank or blurry.

    This page reads your PNG, scales it to 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 128 and 256 pixels (never larger than the original) and writes each size as a PNG entry inside one ICO, the layout Windows Vista and every current browser understand. The alpha channel is kept, so a logo with a transparent background stays transparent. A rectangular PNG is centred on a clear square instead of being stretched.

    Building a website icon rather than a Windows one? The favicon generator makes favicon.ico together with the Apple touch icon, Android icons and a web manifest from the same PNG.

    Detail survives shrinking badly. A logo with thin strokes or small lettering turns to mush at 16 pixels, which is why many brands ship a simplified mark for their icon: just the initial, the symbol, or a thicker outline. If the 16 and 32 pixel versions look muddy, try a bolder crop of your logo rather than the full wordmark.

    How it works

    1. Drop your PNG files onto the page, or tap to pick them. Square images give the cleanest icons.
    2. Nothing to set: every ICO gets the standard sizes from 16 to 256 pixels, up to the size of your image.
    3. Download each .ico file, or all of them as one zip.

    In your browser, not on a server

    Your browser decodes the picture, then Stayput draws it on a transparent square canvas once for every icon size, halving the resolution step by step so the small sizes stay crisp. Each size is saved as a PNG and a small encoder in the page writes the ICO header and size directory around them. The whole file is assembled in memory in your tab.

    Compared with upload-based tools: Icon converters that upload your image often hand back a single 32 pixel frame or a blurry resize, and keep a copy of your logo on their server. Here every size is drawn locally from your original, and nothing leaves the device.

    Verify it yourself. Load this page, turn off Wi-Fi or switch to airplane mode, and run the tool. Or open your browser's developer tools (F12, or Cmd-Option-I on a Mac), pick the Network tab, and watch it while you convert. The panel above does the same count for you.

    Questions

    What size should the PNG be?

    At least 256 by 256 pixels and square. Smaller PNGs still convert, but the ICO only contains sizes up to the original, so a 64 pixel PNG gives 16 to 64 pixel entries and looks soft in large icon view.

    Will the transparent background stay transparent?

    Yes. Each size is stored as a 32-bit PNG inside the ICO, alpha channel included, which Windows and browsers draw without a box around the icon.

    Is a renamed .png the same as a real .ico?

    No. Some programs sniff the bytes and cope, but Windows Explorer, the shortcut icon picker and older browsers expect the ICO header and directory of sizes. A real ICO also lets each size be drawn separately, which is what keeps the small versions crisp.

    How do I use the .ico as a folder or shortcut icon in Windows?

    Right-click the shortcut or folder, open Properties, then Change Icon (for a folder, the Customize tab first), browse to the .ico and pick it. Keep the file somewhere permanent: Windows reads it from that path every time it draws the icon.

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