Best Free Online PNG to ICO Converter

There are numerous reasons to convert PNG to ICO. First, ICO allows compatibility with older browsers like Internet Explorer and Windows Vista/XP systems. Also, ICO files can save more than one icon. In other words, this picture format can contain numerous small images at varying color depths and sizes. This, plus ICO's smaller size than PNG, makes it perfect for favicon use. So, if you have enough reasons to convert JPG to ICO, simply pick an ICO converter from the list below.

Part 1. What is an ICO image?

Before jumping into the nitty-gritty of converting PNG or JPG to ICO, let's first discuss this file format. An ICO is a graphics file format used for computer icons in Windows systems. It has a .ico filename extension and can be used as a container for PNG and BMP. Having said that, an ICO file is commonly used in Windows operating systems to display icons for applications, shortcuts, directories, etc. In a typical scenario, the maximum pixel dimension for this format is 256p with a minimum of 16p. Therefore, anything larger or smaller will automatically be resized to these dimensions. You can open ICO files on Windows with programs like Microsoft Paint, Photos, Photoshop, and Fax Viewer.

Part 2. Best free PNGto ICO convert sites for Windows

1. Convertico

Convertico is a secure web-based PNG to ICO converter. It's free, simple to use, and supports batch conversions. Just say, you can upload up to 20 2MB files on the drag-n-drop user interface before converting to ICO. Apart from converting PNG to ICO, Convertico can also encode JPG and SVG to ICO and vice-versa. It can also convert JPG to HEIF and HEIF to JPG. Plus, you can convert PNG by up to 70% and generate favicons for your website URL. But only if you don't mind the numerous adverts.

2. CloudConvert

CloudConvert is another helpful ICO file converter. As the name suggests, this online converter is cloud-based, meaning your conversions are safe and secure in the cloud. That aside, CloudConvert supports more than 200 file formats, including JPG, PNG, ICO, WebM, BMP, and so on. Before converting, this tool allows you to keep/remove metadata and adjust image dimensions. However, free users a limited to 25 conversions per day, which is still more than enough.

3. ICOConvert

The name speaks volumes. ICOConvert is an online tool for transforming PNG or JPG files to ICO with lossless quality. With this PNG to ICO converter online, you can batch convert PNG and JPG to icons or vice-versa. But before converting, you can crop and resize the image as well as choose the image style or shape. Also, you can convert the ICO for windows apps or website favicons. Even better, it has multiple pixel dimensions to choose from. Highly recommended!

4. Convertio

I'm sure you know a thing or six about Convertio if you're constantly converting files online. It's a free online ICO converter that supports more than 300 file formats. Apart from ICO, you can also encode JPG and PNG to SVG, AVIF, RGB, TGA, CUR, GIF, and so on. Not only that, Convertio supports batch processing of up to 100MB per session. Another thing, you can directly load ICO files from Google Drive or Dropbox.

5. FreeConvert

Are you still not wowed by the online PNG to ICO converters above? Use FreeConvert to convert PNG to favicon with fantastic image quality. Like the rest, it's a free program compatible with standard image formats like TIFF, PNG, JPG, GIF, ICO, BMP, etc. Before converting, FreeConvert allows you to preset the pixel dimension and strip the metadata. Additionally, you can upload ICO from Dropbox, Google Drive, URL, or device.

Part 3. [Further reading] How to easily batch convert PNG to other standard image formats

Now let's wrap up this guidepost by learning how to easily edit and convert PNG on Mac/Windows using Wondershare UniConverter. With this free desktop image editor, you can losslessly convert PNG to JPG, TIFF, BMP, or WebP without any limitations. But that's not all; Wondershare Image Converter packs multiple image editing tools under the hood. For example, users can compress, rotate, flip, crop, and apply filters. Another thing, it has an AI-powered image background remover to remove and replace image backgrounds.

Steps to convert and edit PNG on Wondershare Image Converter:

Fire up UniConverter, then tap Toolbox. After that, tap the Image Converter function to open it before dragging and dropping your image files. Or, tap Add Images to do the same. Remember, you can add as many PNG photos as you want.

Do you want to edit and resize the PNG image before converting? In that case, tap the Crop or Effect icons on the image thumbnail. Now proceed to rotate, crop, flip, apply watermarks, and so on.

Then, close the window and tap the Settings icon to adjust the image quality and pixel dimensions. For example, resize it to 16 x 16 if you'll create a website favicon using the JPG to icon converter free apps listed above.

Navigate to the top-right format menu and choose JPG, BMP, TIFF, or WebM as the target format. But for better ICO conversions, choose JPG. Finally, tap Convert to save your new image. Any questions?

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Conclusion

So, don't be surprised the next time you find an ICO file. This image file creates app and shortcut icons for Windows and favicons for websites. Then, of course, use one of the websites above to convert JPG to ICO on Windows 10. But for quality results, choose one that lets you customize output options like size and metadata. And don't forget to use Wondershare Image Converter to edit and convert your images quickly and professionally.