Convert ICO to PNG
Extract the images inside a favicon.ico file as PNG
Your files stay with you. Conversion happens inside the browser; no file is ever uploaded to a server.
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How it works
Choose your ICO file — click the box or drop the file into it — and press Convert to PNG. An ICO is not one image but a container that holds the same icon at several sizes: a typical favicon.ico with 16, 32 and 48 pixel versions gives you a single 48×48 PNG with the default setting. Pick the second option to get every size; each one becomes its own file named like "icon-32x32.png". The result line tells you the size and the source of every output: entries stored as embedded PNG are copied out byte for byte with no re-encoding, while old-style BMP entries are decoded together with their transparency mask and written as PNG. Everything runs inside your browser; the icon file is never uploaded anywhere.
This tool is also known as ico to png, convert ico to png, extract png from ico, favicon to png, ico file converter, open ico file.
What is ICO?
ICO is a container format that stores one icon at several sizes and colour depths in a single file. A directory at the start lists each image's dimensions, bit depth and position in the file. The images themselves come in two flavours: PNG data embedded directly (supported since Windows Vista) or headless BMP (DIB) data in older files. This tool reads the directory, picks the entries you asked for and turns each one into a standalone PNG file.
What is PNG?
PNG is a lossless image format with a full alpha channel, which makes it the natural target for images pulled out of an icon: the crisp edges and transparent background of a favicon would smear or vanish in a lossy format such as JPG. A PNG extracted from an ICO can be dropped into a document, published on a page or opened in any image editor — unlike ICO, which many programs refuse to open, PNG is understood practically everywhere.
What is the difference between a PNG entry and a BMP entry in an ICO?
Both sit under the same directory, but they are written differently. A PNG entry is a complete PNG file placed into the ICO as-is; this tool slices it out, and since nothing is re-encoded, not a single byte changes. A BMP entry is raw pixel data with a trimmed header: colours come from a palette or channel layout, transparency lives in a separate one-bit AND mask, and rows are stored bottom-up. The tool decodes that data and rewrites it as PNG — the picture stays identical, only the container changes. The result line of every output tells you which kind of entry it came from.
Why the extracted PNG can be smaller than you expected
An ICO container cannot give you more pixels than it stores. If a favicon only carries 16 and 32 pixel versions, the biggest sharp PNG you can get is 32×32; enlarging it afterwards invents no detail and only blurs the edges.
The second trap is transparency. Modern ICO files embed PNG, so transparency travels with the image. Old-style BMP entries keep it in a separate one-bit mask (the AND mask) instead; this tool reads that mask and writes it into the PNG's alpha channel. Very old files with a broken mask can still show single-pixel notches along the edges — that is a limit of the source file, not of the conversion.
One size or all of them?
If you just need the icon as an image — in a document, a slide or a page — the largest size is what you want, and the default setting does exactly that.
Extract all sizes when you want to study or rebuild the icon: small versions are usually drawn separately, so the 16 pixel image is not simply a scaled-down copy of the 48 pixel one.
- Use in a document, slide or page → largest size
- Design review or icon editing → all sizes
- Batch work → select several ICO files together
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find a site's favicon.ico?
Most sites keep it at the root: type siteaddress/favicon.ico into the address bar and save the file. If the icon lives elsewhere, the link rel="icon" tag in the page source points to the right address.
Is transparency preserved?
Yes. Embedded PNG entries already carry their own transparency and are copied unchanged; for classic BMP entries the tool reads the AND mask and writes it into the PNG alpha channel.
Can I open CUR (cursor) files too?
Yes. CUR uses the same container as ICO, so the images extract the same way. Only the hotspot — the click point of the cursor — is dropped, because PNG has no field for it.
Can I turn the PNG back into an ICO?
Yes — the favicon generator on this site builds a multi-size ICO from a PNG. Together the two tools let you edit icon files in both directions.