Support
Frequently asked questions
Everything about making Windows .ICO files with IconEditor — sizes, transparency, importing and privacy. Still stuck? Email us.
Sizes & format
What goes into a Windows .ICO
Which sizes matter, how the small ones are made, and what the file contains.
Which sizes should a Windows application icon contain?
Windows picks the closest size for each context and scales when it has to. A complete icon ships 16, 24, 32, 48 and 256 px; 64 and 128 px are useful extras for 150–200 % display scaling. IconEditor exports all seven by default — see the sizes cheat sheet.
Do I have to draw every size by hand?
No. Draw the largest size (256 or 128 px), then select a smaller size and use Get from to scale it down with a Lanczos filter. The small sizes usually need a few pixel-level touch-ups afterwards so lines stay crisp — that is exactly what the pixel grid is for.
What happens to sizes I leave empty?
On export, an empty size is filled from the nearest larger drawn size, so the .ICO is always complete. The export dialog shows a small arrow (← 64) next to sizes that will be filled this way, and you can untick any size you do not want in the file.
Is transparency supported?
Yes. Every size is 32-bit RGBA. The Alpha slider controls the opacity of the colour you paint with, the eraser reduces alpha, and the exported .ICO keeps the full 8-bit alpha channel in its BMP entries (plus the 1-bit AND mask for very old software). The 256 px entry is a PNG with alpha.
Why is the 256×256 image stored as PNG inside the .ICO?
A 256×256 32-bit bitmap is 256 KB uncompressed. Since Windows Vista the .ICO format allows a PNG-compressed entry for that size, and every modern tool expects it. Smaller sizes stay as classic BMP entries for maximum compatibility with resource compilers and older software.
Import & export
Converting and reusing images
From PNG, SVG or an existing .ico to a finished file — and back to the web.
Can I convert a PNG, JPG or SVG to ICO?
Yes. Import the file, drag the square crop to the part you want, tick the sizes to generate and click Import. The image is resampled on our server (a Lanczos filter for photos and logos, point sampling for pixel art) into each size, and you can keep editing any of them before exporting.
Can I import an existing .ico and edit it?
Yes. Import reads existing .ICO files (PNG or BMP entries of any colour depth). Sizes present in the file are copied exactly into their slots; missing sizes are scaled from the largest image.
Can I use the .ICO as a website favicon too?
Yes — the same file works as <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" sizes="any">. The export dialog includes the snippet, and the sizes guide lists the PNG sizes to add for iOS and Android.
Privacy & support
Your data, your browser, the price
What leaves your machine, what runs where, and what it costs (nothing).
Is my image uploaded anywhere?
Drawing happens entirely in your browser. When you import a file, scale a size with Get from, or export an .ICO, the image is sent to our server, converted in memory and returned — it is never written to disk or kept. Your work-in-progress is saved locally in your browser so you can come back later — nothing is stored on the server. See the privacy policy.
Which browsers are supported?
Current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on desktop. Touch drawing works on tablets, but a mouse or pen gives more precision for pixel work.
Is IconEditor free?
Yes, free for personal and commercial use, with no watermark, no account and no export limit.
Ready to make your icon?
Free, in the browser, exports a Windows-ready .ico with all seven sizes.