Updated · Built and checked by the PlinzoTools team, formulas tested against published sources
Extract the PNG image embedded inside a .ico favicon file.
Converted files will appear here.
A modern .ico favicon file is typically just a PNG image wrapped in a small container format (the classic ICO bitmap format has largely been superseded by PNG-in-ICO for real-world modern favicons). This tool reads that container and extracts the actual PNG image inside it, giving you a standalone file you can open and edit in any regular image editor.
Upload your .ico file. The tool reads the ICO container's directory structure, locates the embedded PNG image data, and extracts it as a downloadable PNG file.
An ICO file starts with a small header (the "ICONDIR") describing how many images it contains, followed by one directory entry per image specifying its dimensions and byte offset. This tool reads that directory structure directly (via manual byte parsing) to locate exactly where the embedded PNG data begins and ends, then extracts those bytes as a standalone file.
Editing an existing favicon's design by extracting it to PNG first, making changes in an image editor, then converting it back to ICO with the PNG to Favicon ICO Converter. Recovering a usable image from a favicon file when the original source PNG is no longer available.
This tool assumes the modern, common case of a PNG-embedded ICO file -- older-style raw BMP-encoded ICO files (an older, less common format predating widespread PNG-in-ICO support) use a different internal structure and may not extract correctly.
Imagine you inherit a website and the only copy of its logo is a favicon.ico file in the site root. Upload that file, and the tool reads the header, finds the directory entry, and hands back the embedded image as a PNG. Open the result in any image editor and you can check its pixel dimensions right away. If the icon was a 32 by 32 pixel image, your PNG will be small, so expect it to look blurry when enlarged. That is not a defect of the converter; it is simply how many pixels were stored in the original file.
Some older ICO files store their images as raw bitmap data rather than PNG. Those files use a different internal layout, and this tool is designed for the PNG-embedded kind, so a legacy bitmap icon may fail or produce something unusable. If you suspect that is your situation, an image editor that opens ICO files natively is the better route. Also make sure you are uploading a genuine .ico file: a PNG or JPG that has simply been renamed with an .ico extension does not contain the directory structure the tool looks for.
A single ICO can hold multiple resolutions, for example a small and a large version of the same design. The container lists each one in its directory. If you need a specific size and the result is not what you expected, check the pixel dimensions of the PNG you received and compare them with what you were hoping for. When the largest available version matters, it is worth confirming the source icon actually contains one before assuming the tool missed it.
Modern browsers and operating systems support PNG images embedded directly inside the ICO container format, which is simpler to generate than the older raw bitmap encoding -- most favicons created by modern tools use this PNG-in-ICO approach.
Yes -- edit the extracted PNG in any image editor, then use the PNG to Favicon ICO Converter to wrap your edited version back into a valid .ico file.
The PNG is the exact image stored inside the ICO file. Favicons are commonly saved at small sizes such as 16 or 32 pixels, so the extracted image has that same small pixel size. Enlarging it will not add detail.
The tool parses the file's bytes in your browser, so the conversion happens on your own device as part of the page.
Usually yes, since PNG supports transparency and the tool extracts the embedded PNG data as it is. Open the result over a coloured background to verify.
Renaming a PNG or JPG to .ico does not create the ICO header and directory the tool reads. Use a real ICO file, or make one with the PNG to Favicon ICO Converter first.