ICO Converter
Extract an image out of an existing ICO icon file into JPG, PNG, WebP, or GIF — free and instant in your browser.
Drop your ICO files here
Only ICO files accepted
Related tools
Why use PixelTools to convert ICO
Extracts the largest embedded image
ICO files can store multiple resolutions in one container — the converter pulls the highest-resolution version for the cleanest output.
Convert to JPG, PNG, WebP, or GIF
Get a standard image file out of an icon for editing, previewing, or reuse anywhere ICO isn't accepted.
Batch conversion
Drop several ICO files at once and extract images from all of them in one pass.
No upload, fully private
Parsing happens locally in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
Three steps to convert ICO
- 1
Drop your ICO file
The browser reads the file locally through the File API and parses the ICO container format, which lists every image size bundled inside.
- 2
The largest embedded image is selected
ICO files can hold several resolutions in one file. The converter picks the highest-resolution entry and decodes it onto an HTML canvas as raw pixel data.
- 3
Choose JPG, PNG, WebP, or GIF and download
PNG and WebP preserve any transparency the icon had; JPG flattens it to white. The result downloads straight to your device — no server round-trip.
Who converts an ICO file — and who actually wants the opposite?
Two very different people land on an ICO converter: someone who already has an icon file and needs a normal image out of it, and — far more often — someone who wants to build a favicon and hasn't found the right tool yet. This page's converter only does the first.
Developer inspecting a downloaded favicon.ico
Right-clicking a website's favicon.ico and opening it directly shows nothing useful in most image viewers. Converting it to PNG makes the icon visible and editable in any standard tool.
Designer reusing an old Windows app icon
Legacy Windows software often ships its icon as a standalone .ico file. Extracting it as PNG lets a designer resize or restyle it in Figma without needing an icon-specific editor.
Someone rebuilding a brand's favicon after losing the source file
When the original logo file is gone but the site's favicon.ico still exists, extracting the largest embedded image (often 256x256 in modern ICOs) gives a usable starting point instead of nothing.
Most searchers, who actually want to build a favicon from a logo
If you're starting from a JPG, PNG, SVG, or WebP logo and want an .ico file for your site, this hub page isn't the right tool — use PixelTools' JPG to ICO, PNG to ICO, SVG to ICO, or WebP to ICO converter instead, matched to your source format.
QA engineer checking icon assets across resolutions
Before a release, QA sometimes needs to eyeball every resolution packed into an app's .ico file. Extracting the largest frame to PNG is a quick way to confirm the icon looks right at full size before checking the smaller variants separately.
Frequently asked questions
I want to make a favicon — is this the right tool?
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Not this page. This converter goes the other direction — it takes an existing .ico file and extracts an image out of it as JPG, PNG, or WebP. To create a favicon from a photo or logo, use the JPG to ICO, PNG to ICO, SVG to ICO, or WebP to ICO converter instead, depending on your source file.
Why does 'ico converter' mostly bring up favicon-making tools?
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Most people searching for an ICO converter are trying to create a favicon, not read one. PixelTools covers that direction with four dedicated tools — JPG to ICO, PNG to ICO, SVG to ICO, and WebP to ICO — each built for turning an image into an icon.
What is an ICO file, exactly?
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ICO is the Windows icon container format, used for favicon.ico files and desktop application icons. Unusually, a single .ico file can hold several versions of the same image at different resolutions and color depths — 16x16, 32x32, 48x48, and 256x256 are common — so the operating system can pick the right size for the context.
If my ICO has multiple sizes inside it, which one gets extracted?
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The converter reads the largest image stored in the file, since that preserves the most detail. If your ICO only has a 16x16 icon, extracting to PNG or JPG will still only be 16x16 pixels — icon extraction can't add resolution that wasn't in the source.
Do modern browsers still need .ico for favicons?
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No, not exclusively. Since Windows Vista, ICO files can even contain PNG-compressed frames internally, and modern browsers also accept plain PNG or SVG favicons directly via a link tag. ICO remains the safest choice for maximum compatibility, including with older bookmarking tools and Windows shortcuts.
Are my icon files uploaded anywhere?
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No. The ICO file is parsed and its image data extracted entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
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