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JPG to ICO converter

Turn a JPG into an .ico icon file with every standard size inside, ready for Windows or as a website favicon.

Drop JPG images here

or paste with Ctrl+V. Your images stay on your device.

Make it square

Processed on your device. Nothing is uploaded, and there's no sign-up or watermark.

How to convert JPG to ICO

  1. Drag JPG files onto the box above or click Choose images. PNG, WebP and HEIC images work too.
  2. Choose the icon sizes: all sizes from 16 to 256 px for Windows and websites, the favicon set, or a single size.
  3. Choose how the image becomes square: crop the center, or fit the whole image with transparent space around it.
  4. Download the .ico file. The preview shows the largest size inside it.

What is an ICO file?

ICO is the icon format of Windows. Unlike a JPG or PNG, one ICO file holds the same picture at several sizes. Windows chooses the closest one for each place it shows the icon: tiny in a file list, larger on the desktop, and up to 256 px in File Explorer’s extra large icons view. Browsers do the same with a favicon, picking 16 or 32 px for a tab and larger sizes on high-resolution screens.

Shrinking one large image on the fly looks worse than a size made in advance, which is why icon files carry several. This converter draws every size directly from your original image rather than from the next size up, so small sizes stay as sharp as they can be.

How this converter builds the icon

Making it square. Icons are square. With Crop the center, the middle of the image fills the icon and the edges of a wide or tall image are cut off. With Fit whole image, the full image is kept and the empty space beside or above it is transparent.

Choosing sizes. All sizes puts 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 128 and 256 px in one file, which suits both Windows and websites. The favicon set keeps the file small for a website. A single size is useful when an app asks for an icon of one exact size.

Inside the file. Sizes up to 128 px are stored as 32-bit bitmaps with an alpha channel and a transparency mask, and the 256 px size as PNG. That’s the layout Windows uses for its own icons, and it opens in old and new software alike.

If your image is smaller than 256 px, the larger sizes are enlarged from it and will look soft. For the sharpest result, start from an image at least 256 px on its shorter side.

Tips for a good icon

  • Start simple. A logo, a single object or a letter reads better at 16 px than a full scene.
  • Fill the square. Crop out empty background before converting so the subject uses the whole icon.
  • Check the small sizes. Look at the icon in a folder at small and large view settings before using it everywhere.

If you need a plain image instead of an icon, such as a profile picture, crop the image into a circle or convert it from JPG to PNG. If your logo is an SVG, convert the SVG to PNG at 256 px or more first, then make the icon from that PNG.

Questions and answers

What sizes should an ICO file include?

For Windows, include 16, 24, 32, 48 and 256 px: File Explorer, the taskbar and the desktop pick different sizes depending on the view and the display scaling. A website favicon needs only 16, 32 and 48 px. The default, all sizes from 16 to 256 px, covers both.

How do I use the icon for a folder in Windows?

Right-click the folder, choose Properties, open the Customize tab and click Change Icon. Click Browse, pick your .ico file and confirm. For a desktop shortcut, open its Properties, then Change Icon on the Shortcut tab.

How do I use the ICO file as a favicon?

Name the file favicon.ico and put it in the root folder of your website, so it opens at yoursite.com/favicon.ico. Browsers look there automatically. You can also point to it from your pages with a link tag: <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" sizes="any">.

Can the icon have a transparent background?

A JPG has no transparency, so an icon cropped from a photo is fully opaque. If you choose Fit whole image, the empty space around a non-square image is transparent. For a logo on a transparent background, start from a PNG that already has one; this tool accepts PNGs too.

Why does my icon look blurry or busy at small sizes?

At 16 or 32 px there's very little room for detail, so a full photo turns into a few blurry shapes. Icons work best with a simple subject that fills the square. Crop close to the subject before converting, or use a simpler version of your logo for the small sizes.

Can I rename a JPG to .ico instead?

No. Changing the extension doesn't change the file inside, and Windows will refuse it as an icon. An ICO file has its own structure that holds several image sizes, which is what this converter builds.

Are my images uploaded to a server?

No. Your browser builds the icon file, so your images stay on your device. There's no account to create and no watermark.