Updated · Built and checked by the PlinzoTools team, formulas tested against published sources
Convert a Windows .ico icon file to PNG instantly, right in your browser.
Upload a ICO file to convert it to PNG.
This tool converts a Windows .ico icon file to PNG entirely in your browser. ICO is a container format built for Windows icons and website favicons -- a single .ico file can bundle several resolutions of the same image (e.g. 16×16, 32×32, 256×256) so the operating system or browser picks whichever fits. This tool reads the real ICO byte structure and extracts the largest embedded image, then re-encodes it as PNG.
Click the upload area and choose an .ico file. The converted preview appears immediately; click Download to save it as a real PNG file.
Need to go the other way? Use the PNG to ICO tab above, or open the PNG to ICO converter directly.
PNG is a far more widely supported, general-purpose image format than ICO -- most photo editors, social platforms, and websites don't accept .ico uploads at all, so converting to PNG is usually the first step to actually using an icon's artwork somewhere else (editing it, sharing it, or repurposing a favicon's image as a regular graphic).
When you choose an .ico file, the page reads its raw bytes and looks at the icon directory at the start of the file, which lists how many images are bundled and the width and height of each. Among the entries that are stored as embedded PNG data, it picks the largest one and hands that PNG to the browser as an ordinary image. The browser draws it onto a canvas at its natural pixel size, and the canvas is then saved as a PNG. Nothing is resized on the way through, so the output has the same pixel dimensions as the biggest embedded image.
Imagine a favicon file that bundles three images: 16x16, 48x48 and 256x256. Each is a separate picture stored inside the same file. This tool would produce a 256x256 PNG. If you needed the 48x48 version specifically, this converter will not give it to you, because it always chooses the largest. In that case you would resize the resulting PNG afterwards in an image editor.
The reverse also matters: an ICO whose largest entry is only 32x32 gives a 32x32 PNG. Enlarging it later will make it look soft, because no extra detail exists to recover.
PNG supports a full alpha channel, so a transparent icon stays transparent after conversion. Rounded logos, drop shadows and cut-out shapes should come through with their see-through areas intact. This is one reason PNG is the most natural target for icon artwork. Formats such as JPG and BMP have no alpha channel, which is why an icon converted to those formats needs a background color.
ICO files can store each image in two ways: as an embedded PNG, or as an old-style bitmap block. This converter extracts embedded PNG entries. If your file contains only bitmap-style entries, or if the file is damaged or is not really an icon (for example a renamed image), you may see an error saying it could not read an image out of the .ico file. Very old icon files from legacy Windows programs are the usual culprit, and modern favicon files with a 256x256 entry generally use PNG storage.
If you hit that error, try opening the icon in a desktop icon editor or re-exporting it from the original source artwork, then convert the new file.
No -- the whole conversion happens locally in your browser. Your file never leaves your device.
The largest embedded image is used, so you get the highest-resolution version the icon file contains.
Yes. PNG has an alpha channel, so transparent areas of the embedded image remain transparent in the output.
No. The tool always extracts the largest embedded image. To get a smaller size, convert to PNG first and then resize it in an image editor.
The converter reads icon entries stored as embedded PNG data. A file that only contains older bitmap-style entries, is corrupted, or is not truly an icon may fail. Re-exporting the icon from its source or an icon editor usually fixes it.
Only if the ICO actually contains a larger embedded image. The output always matches the pixel size of the largest embedded image and is never enlarged.
ICO and PNG aren't interchangeable: ICO works well for favicons and Windows application icons, whereas PNG is the better fit for logos, screenshots, diagrams and anything that needs sharp edges or transparency.
| ICO | PNG | |
|---|---|---|
| File extension | .ico | .png |
| Compression | a container holding PNG or BMP images | lossless |
| Transparency | Full transparency (alpha channel) | Full transparency (alpha channel) |
| Animation | Single image | Single image |
| Colours | up to 32-bit colour with alpha | 16.7 million plus an 8-bit transparency channel |
| Best for | favicons and Windows application icons | logos, screenshots, diagrams and anything that needs sharp edges or transparency |
| Support | all browsers for favicons and Windows for icons | every browser, phone and editor |
The conversion happens in your browser; the file is never uploaded.