Convert PNG to ICO

Why a multi-size ICO?

A favicon is shown in many places at different sizes: 16 px in a browser tab, 32 px in bookmarks and the Windows taskbar, 48 px and more for shortcuts and pinned sites. A single small PNG gets blurry when it’s scaled up and loses detail when scaled down. An .ico file solves this by bundling several pre-rendered sizes in one file, and the browser or operating system picks the best one.

Preparing the source image

• Square. Icons are square; crop your logo to a 1:1 shape before converting.
• Large enough. 256 × 256 px or more, so the largest size inside the ICO is sharp. An SVG is ideal because it renders cleanly at every size.
• Transparent background. Use a PNG or SVG with transparency so the icon blends with light and dark browser themes.
• Simple. At 16 px, a full logo with a tagline is unreadable. Use the symbol or the first letter of your brand.

If your logo is an SVG and you also need PNG versions, export them with SVG to PNG. If the source image is very large, you can bring it down first with Resize image.

Using your favicon

1. Rename the downloaded file to favicon.ico.
2. Upload it to the root folder of your website (so it’s available at yoursite.com/favicon.ico).
3. Add this line inside the <head> of your pages:

<link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" sizes="any">

Website builders such as WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace and Wix have a “Site icon” or “Favicon” setting where you can upload the file instead. Browsers cache favicons aggressively — if you don’t see the new icon, open the site in a private window.

Common problems

• The icon looks blurry in the browser tab. The source was too small or too detailed. Use a larger, simpler image — ideally an SVG.
• The icon has a white or black square around it. The source had no transparency (often a JPG). Use a PNG with a transparent background.
• The old icon still shows. Clear the cache or test in a private window; browsers keep favicons for a long time.

Windows icons

The same .ico file works for Windows: right-click a shortcut or folder, choose Properties → Customize or Change Icon, and browse to your file.

Private and free

There’s no account, no watermark and no upload: the icon is generated directly in your browser from your image, so an unreleased brand logo stays on your computer.