PNG to ICO

PNG to ICO Converter

Convert any PNG into a complete favicon package: a multi-size favicon.ico, a matching PNG for each size, and a ready-to-paste HTML snippet. Just the ICO file alone works too.

Last updated: August 2026

Multi-size

16-256px

Full Package

ICO + PNGs + HTML

Transparency

Preserved

Private

No Uploads

Sizes to include

Default 16, 32, 48 covers browser tabs and Windows taskbar. Add 256 for desktop shortcuts.

What you get (ZIP package):

  • favicon.ico -- multi-size ICO with all selected sizes embedded
  • Individual PNG for each size (favicon-16x16.png, favicon-32x32.png, ...)
  • README.html with ready-to-paste <head> HTML snippet

Drop PNG files here or click to browse

All processing stays in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

How to convert PNG to ICO

Four steps, all running locally in your browser.

01

Drop your PNG

A square source of 512x512 or larger gives the sharpest result at every size. Nothing is uploaded, it stays on your device.

02

Choose your sizes

Defaults to 16, 32 and 48px. Add 256px if you also need Windows desktop icon support.

03

Download

Grab the full favicon package as a ZIP, or use the favicon.ico-only button if that's all you need.

04

Add it to your site

Upload favicon.ico to your site's root and paste the copied HTML snippet into your <head>.

Which favicon sizes do you actually need?

The ICO format is a container that holds multiple image sizes. Browsers and operating systems pick the size that fits best for each context. Including multiple sizes in one ICO file means your icon looks sharp everywhere.

16x16

Browser tab and address bar. The most important size.

32x32

Windows taskbar, browser bookmarks, and higher DPI displays.

48x48

Windows Start menu and desktop shortcuts.

64x64

High-DPI browser tabs on retina displays.

128x128

Chrome Web Store and some application installers.

256x256

Windows desktop icons at high zoom levels.

For a standard website favicon, the 16x16 + 32x32 + 48x48 combination covers all common browser and OS contexts. The tool defaults to these three sizes.

How to add your favicon to a website

  1. 1

    Download your favicon package from the converter above. The ZIP contains favicon.ico, a PNG for each size you selected, and a README.html with the HTML snippet already written out. If you'd rather have just the ICO file, use the "favicon.ico only" button instead.

  2. 2

    Unzip the package and upload favicon.ico (and the PNGs, if you're using the full package) to the root directory of your website, the same folder as your index.html.

  3. 3

    Click "Copy HTML snippet" in the converter, or open README.html from the package, and paste it into the <head> section of your HTML. The minimal fallback, if you only kept favicon.ico, is:

    <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon">
  4. 4

    Clear your browser cache and reload your website. The favicon should appear in the browser tab.

Most browsers also detect favicon.ico automatically from the root directory even without the link tag, but including it explicitly is good practice, and it's the only way to get the PNG fallback and Apple touch icon references working.

Why favicons are harder to get right than they look

A favicon is 16 by 16 pixels. That's 256 pixels total. Your logo, your brand, your site's entire visual identity squeezed into a space smaller than a thumbnail of a thumbnail. Most designers approach this the wrong way: they take the main logo, shrink it down, and wonder why it looks like a smudge in the browser tab. The problem isn't the tool. It's that most logos were never designed to work at that scale.

A well-designed favicon is almost always a simplified version of the brand. Not the full logo with the wordmark and the tagline and the decorative elements. Just the core mark, the initial, or the most distinctive shape. Think of the favicon for any major website you use regularly. It's almost always a single letter, a simple geometric icon, or a reduced version of the logo that strips everything non-essential.

Why your source image size and shape matter more than you'd expect

The quality of your favicon depends heavily on what you start with, in two ways. First, resolution: dropping a 200 by 200 pixel PNG into the converter and asking it to produce a 16 by 16 output is fine, but it's not ideal. The downsampling algorithm has less information to work with, and the result can look softer than necessary. Start with a 512 by 512 or larger source PNG for the best output at every size. Second, aspect ratio: the converter maps your source directly onto each square icon size, stretching it to fit rather than cropping or padding it. A rectangular logo dropped in as-is will come out visibly squished at every size. Crop or pad your source to a perfect square before converting.

If your source image is a vector SVG, the first step is to convert it to a PNG at a large size before running it through this converter. The SVG to PNG tool handles that, and you can set the output size to 512 by 512 directly. Then bring that PNG here for the ICO conversion.

ICO vs PNG favicons

Every modern browser now supports PNG favicons. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge will all happily use a PNG file if you point them to one with the link tag. So why bother with ICO at all? Because ICO is still the only format that works reliably across every context where your favicon might appear. Browser bookmarks on older systems, Windows taskbar pinned sites, desktop shortcuts, email clients that display favicon-style icons. The ICO file with multiple embedded sizes is the one format that covers all of those without you having to think about it, which is exactly what this converter's default package is built around: the ICO as the primary reference, with a PNG fallback for each size alongside it.

The one thing this tool doesn't generate is the platform-specific extras: a 180 by 180 Apple touch icon for iOS home screen bookmarks, and typically a 192 by 192 PNG plus a web manifest for Android. If you need those alongside the classic favicon set, the dedicated Favicon Generator tool builds all of it, ICO, Apple touch icon, Android icons and manifest, in one pass.

Common PNG to ICO mistakes

Expecting a single .ico download

The default output is a full ZIP package: favicon.ico, a PNG per selected size, and an HTML snippet. If you specifically want just the bare ICO file, use the "favicon.ico only" button instead of the main download button.

Uploading a non-square PNG

The converter stretches your source image to fill each square icon size rather than cropping or padding it, so a rectangular logo will come out visibly squished. Crop or pad your source to a perfect square before converting.

Copying a generic single-line favicon tag instead of the tool's own snippet

The "Copy HTML snippet" button generates a more complete set of tags, referencing the sized ICO, a PNG fallback for each size, and a reminder about the Apple touch icon, that matches exactly what's inside your downloaded package.

Starting from a tiny source image

A 512x512 or larger source gives the downsampling algorithm far more detail to work with at every output size. A 64px source stretched up to fill a 256px icon will look soft, not sharp.

Forgetting the Apple touch icon needs its own file

ICO and its PNG fallbacks cover browsers, Windows and bookmarks, but iOS home-screen bookmarks need a separate 180x180 PNG, which this tool doesn't generate. The Favicon Generator tool covers that alongside Android icons if you need the full set.

Why use ImgTweak?

Runs entirely in your browser
No uploads, ever
Full favicon package: ICO, matching PNGs and an HTML snippet, all in one ZIP
Or just favicon.ico alone, your choice
Transparency preserved
Free forever, no account needed

Frequently asked questions

What sizes should I include in my favicon.ico?

For most websites, 16x16, 32x32 and 48x48 cover all browser tab, bookmarks and taskbar uses, and are selected by default. If you also need Windows desktop icon support, add 256x256. Modern browsers additionally accept PNG favicons directly, but the ICO file with multiple sizes provides the broadest compatibility including older browsers and Windows.

Do I get a single .ico file, or something more?

By default you get a full favicon package as a ZIP: the multi-size favicon.ico, an individual PNG for each size you selected, and a README.html containing a ready-to-paste HTML snippet. If you only want the bare ICO file, use the "favicon.ico only" button that appears once conversion finishes, which skips the PNGs and snippet entirely.

What image works best for a favicon?

A square PNG with a simple, high-contrast design at 512x512 pixels or larger gives the best results. Complex logos with fine details do not scale well to 16x16. Simplified versions of logos, a single letter, or a bold icon work much better. Transparency is supported. Non-square sources are stretched to fill each square icon size rather than cropped or padded, so a rectangular logo will come out visibly distorted — crop or pad it to a square first.

How do I use the favicon package on my website?

Upload favicon.ico to the root directory of your website, then use the "Copy HTML snippet" button in the converter (or open README.html from the downloaded package) and paste the tags into the <head> of your HTML. That snippet is more complete than a single generic tag: it references the sized ICO, adds a PNG fallback link for each size you included, and reminds you to add an Apple touch icon if 16px is one of your selected sizes. If you only downloaded favicon.ico by itself, the minimal fallback is: <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon">.

Is PNG or ICO better for favicons?

Modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) all support PNG favicons. However, ICO files remain the most universally compatible option, especially for Windows, older browsers, and browser bookmarks. The recommended approach, and what this tool's generated HTML snippet does automatically, is to use an ICO file containing multiple sizes as your primary favicon, with PNG fallbacks for each size alongside it.

Is my PNG file uploaded anywhere?

No. The entire conversion runs in your browser. Your image is decoded via the Canvas API, resized to each selected size, and packed into an ICO binary file locally. Nothing is sent to any server.

Ready to build your favicon?

No sign-up. No uploads. Drop your PNG above and download in seconds.