How to Convert to ICO on Windows & Mac
Updated August 31, 2026
ICO is a format you only ever need on purpose: it's what Windows wants for app and folder icons, and what websites traditionally use for favicons. When a tool demands a .ico and all you have is a JPG or PNG, this is the fix.
ConvertSave turns any common image into an ICO in one drag-and-drop pass on Windows and Mac, offline.
How to convert an image to ICO
- 1
Drag your files into ConvertSave
Open ConvertSave and drag your images into the window. You can drop one file or a whole selection at once. There is no upload step, because the files never leave your computer.
- 2
Choose ICO as the output format
Pick ICO from the format list. ConvertSave shows the formats that make sense for the files you dropped, so ICO is right there.
- 3
Click Convert
Hit the Convert button. Each ICO file is saved next to the original, so you don't have to hunt through folders to find your converted files. The originals are left untouched.
Square source images work best, since icons are square; a non-square image gets fitted. Simple, bold images survive the shrink to icon sizes far better than detailed photos.
JPG or JPEG to ICO
The most common starting point. PNG works identically and is the better source when your logo has transparency, since ICO preserves it.
HEIC to ICO
Photographed a logo or artwork with an iPhone? The HEIC converts straight to ICO without a JPG stop in between.
How to convert to ICO for free
The 7-day free trial covers it, and a favicon for a new project is about the most classic one-off conversion there is.
Is converting to ICO safe?
The risk with converting logos and artwork isn't the conversion itself, it's where the conversion happens. Free converter websites work by uploading your file to someone else's server. You usually can't tell who runs the server, where it is, or how long your file sticks around after the conversion finishes. For personal videos and photos that's a real privacy trade, and it's the reason so many of those sites are covered in aggressive ads.
ConvertSave does the conversion on your own computer. Nothing is uploaded anywhere. You can turn off Wi-Fi entirely and it still works, which is also the easy way to verify the claim. Your original file is never modified, and the converted copy is written right next to it.
Frequently asked questions
What size should a favicon be?
Browsers commonly use 16, 32, and 48 pixel versions, and modern sites often ship larger ones too. Start from a square source of at least 256 pixels and the icon has room to scale down cleanly.
Does transparency survive the conversion?
From a source with transparency, like PNG, yes. JPGs have no transparency to preserve, so their icons get a solid background.
Can I use the ICO as a Windows folder or app icon?
Yes, that's ICO's native home. Right-click a folder, Properties, Customize, Change Icon, and point it at your file.
Is ConvertSave free?
There's a 7-day free trial with all features unlocked. After that it's $9/month, $60/year, or $129 once for a lifetime license that covers 3 personal devices on Mac and Windows.
