Convert Bench
ICO format guide
ICO is the standard icon container used by Windows for favicons, shortcuts, and application icons.
This format is designed around icon assets and often groups multiple icon sizes for desktop and browser use.
Best for
- Website favicons
- Windows app icons
- Shortcut graphics
On Convert Bench
ICO plays a fairly flexible role on Convert Bench because it can be used both as an upload format and as a destination format.
If you start with ICO, some of the direct outputs currently available include SVG, BMP, ICNS, IFF, JPEG, and more. Going the other direction, formats such as BMP, ICNS, IFF, JPEG, PICT, and more can also end up as ICO.
Convert ICO to
20Convert to ICO from
20When this format is a good fit
ICO makes sense when the file needs to behave like an icon, not like a general-purpose image. Typical examples are favicons, Windows desktop shortcuts, and application icons where the same asset may need to look clean at several tiny sizes.
What to know before converting
It is easy to feed the wrong kind of artwork into ICO. Busy photos, rectangular layouts, or low-contrast illustrations often become unreadable once they are reduced to icon dimensions, so the source should be simple, square, and visually strong at a glance.
Practical conversion notes
- Prepare a square source image before converting to ICO, especially if the final icon will be used in a browser tab or desktop launcher.
- Preview the result at small sizes after conversion, because an icon that looks fine at full size can fall apart at 16 or 32 pixels.
- ICO works in both directions on this site, so compare target choices before converting and keep the original file until you are happy with the result.
Ready to convert?
Return to the homepage, upload your files, choose a compatible target format, and download the converted result when processing finishes.