CleanorTools
Icons

ICO to PNG

Details

How to use ICO to PNG

What the tool does, how to run it, and what to expect from the result.

How to convert ICO to PNG

To convert ICO to PNG, select your ICO file and the tool reads its contents in your browser, listing the icon sizes embedded inside it. Pick the size you want, with the largest selected by default, then export it as a standard PNG image.

Everything runs client-side, so the ICO file is never uploaded to a server. The conversion works offline, keeps the icon private on your device, and produces a fresh PNG without altering the original ICO.

  • Select your ICO file
  • Review the embedded icon sizes
  • Pick the size you need
  • Export it as PNG

When you need a PNG out of an ICO

ICO files often outlive the original source artwork. When a favicon or app icon is all that survives, this page helps you recover a clean PNG for reuse, redesign, documentation, or simply viewing the icon at full size outside a browser tab.

Because an ICO can contain multiple resolutions, choosing the right one matters. The tool surfaces each embedded size so you can grab the crisp large version for editing or a small one for a specific slot, rather than guessing.

Tips

Getting a better result out of ICO to PNG

Specific settings and thresholds, not general advice.

  • When an entry inside the .ico is already PNG-compressed, it is extracted byte for byte and handed to you unchanged. There is no re-encode and no quality loss, so you get the exact PNG that was packed into the icon.
  • BMP-backed entries are decoded only when they are 32-bit and uncompressed. The 1-bit AND mask is read and applied, so transparency from old-style icons is preserved rather than turning into black fringes.
  • Old 4-bit and 8-bit palette icons (16-color and 256-color entries from the Windows 95 and XP era) are not decoded. They appear in the list with an explanation instead of quietly failing, so you can see what a file contains even when you cannot export it.
  • In the ICO directory, a size byte of 0 means 256. That is a quirk of the format, since a single byte cannot hold the value 256, and it is why a 256 pixel entry shows up correctly here rather than as a 0 by 0 image.
  • The largest supported entry is selected for you when the file loads, which is normally the one you want. Switch to a smaller entry only when you specifically need the hand-tuned 16 or 32 pixel artwork rather than a downscale of the big one.
Limits

What ICO to PNG does not do

The honest boundary, so you do not lose time finding it yourself.

  • Palette-based BMP entries (1, 4, 8, and 24-bit) are not decoded.
  • It exports one selected entry. For every size at once as a ZIP, use the Icon Extractor.
  • ICO only. No EXE, DLL, ICNS, or CUR here.
  • It does not resize or re-encode. You get the entry as it is stored.
Reference

Terms used on this page

Short, plain-language definitions for the formats and settings above.

Files & formatsFaviconA favicon is the small icon a browser shows next to a site’s name in tabs, bookmarks, and history. It is usually a tiny square image (commonly an ICO, PNG, or SVG) and is one of the smallest files a website serves.General
At a glance

Who ICO to PNG is for

A quick way to understand who this helps, what it solves, and where it connects next.

Best fit

People reusing old favicons and app icons for redesign, QA, and asset handoff.

Ideal for

Getting one clean PNG out of an existing .ico file without a desktop icon tool.

FAQ

Common questions

Short answers for the questions people usually have before trying a utility like this.

Is this ICO to PNG converter free?

Yes. This ICO to PNG converter is completely free with no sign-up or limits on how often you convert.

Does it upload my ICO file to a server?

No. The ICO is decoded, previewed, and exported to PNG entirely in your browser, so the file stays private on your device and is never uploaded.

Can I choose which embedded size to export?

Yes. The tool lists the icon sizes embedded in the ICO and lets you export the exact one you want, with the largest selected by default.

Does it support every legacy ICO encoding?

It supports PNG-backed entries and practical 32-bit BMP-backed icons, and it clearly reports any unsupported legacy variants it cannot decode.

Does the PNG keep transparency?

Yes. Where the source icon has an alpha channel, the exported PNG preserves transparency.

Which embedded size should I export?

The largest supported one, which the tool preselects, unless you specifically want the small artwork. Well-made icon files contain hand-drawn 16 and 32 pixel versions that are not merely downscales, and those are worth grabbing separately if you are rebuilding an old brand mark.

One of the entries says it is unsupported. What does that mean?

It means the entry uses a legacy encoding this decoder does not handle: usually a 4-bit or 8-bit palette bitmap. The tool supports PNG-compressed entries and 32-bit uncompressed BMP entries, and it reports anything else with a reason rather than exporting a broken image. Other entries in the same file are still exportable.

Is the exported PNG re-compressed?

Not if the entry was already a PNG. In that case the bytes are lifted out of the container untouched. Only BMP-backed entries go through a canvas, and those are re-encoded to PNG losslessly, so either way nothing is degraded.

Does transparency survive?

Yes. PNG entries keep their alpha channel directly. For 32-bit BMP entries the per-pixel alpha is read, and the separate 1-bit AND mask is applied on top, so pixels the mask marks as transparent come out transparent.

Is my icon file uploaded?

No. The container is parsed and every entry is decoded in your browser. This is useful when the icon came from a site or a binary you do not want to hand to a third-party converter.

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