Free browser-based utility

Icon Editor: View, Extract and Edit ICO Files

Open an .ico icon file and see every size stored inside it. Save any size as a PNG, download them all at once, or make a new icon with sizes removed or added.

Processed locally — your file stays on your device.

Want to make an icon from a picture instead? Use the Icon Converter.

Choose icon file

An .ico file, such as favicon.ico or a program icon

Drag & drop your .ico file here or You can also paste a file from your clipboard.

Sizes in this icon

Every size stored in the file, in the order the file lists them.

Make a new icon

Untick sizes in the list above to leave them out, add missing sizes, then create a new .ico file.

Add sizes

Each size you keep is drawn again in your browser at its exact size, without resizing, and transparent areas stay transparent. For most icons the new file looks the same; the colour values stored under see-through pixels can round slightly. Older 1, 4, 8 and 24-bit sizes are saved as 32-bit, so the file can be larger. Exception: a PNG size that carries its own colour information can change colour visibly in some browsers; Doodleden warns you above when one is kept. A size already stored as PNG can always be downloaded exactly as it is with Download PNG in step 2.

How to open and edit an ICO file

Choose your .ico file. Doodleden lists every size inside it, with a preview of each.
To get one size as a picture, select Download PNG next to it, or download every size at once as a ZIP.
To make a new icon, untick the sizes you do not want and tick any sizes to add.
Select Create new icon and download it. Your original file stays as it was.

What is inside an .ico file?

An icon file is a small collection of square pictures of the same icon, usually 16, 32, 48 and 256 pixels wide. Windows and browsers choose the size that fits where the icon is shown, so a tiny tab icon and a large desktop icon can both look sharp.

Each size is stored either as a PNG, which modern icons use for the largest size, or as an older bitmap with 1, 4, 8, 24 or 32 bits per pixel. Older icons often hold the same size several times at different colour depths. A new icon made here keeps one of each size; Doodleden picks the one with the most colours unless you choose another.

What happens when you save a new icon

Downloading sizes as PNG. A size already stored as PNG inside the icon is copied byte for byte, exactly as it is in the file. An older bitmap size is converted to PNG in your browser: its size and transparency are kept, and the colour values stored under see-through pixels can round slightly.

Creating a new icon. Every size you keep is drawn again in your browser at its exact size and saved as a 32-bit bitmap, or as PNG when it is 256 pixels wide or tall. For most icons the result looks the same, with the same small rounding under see-through pixels. A PNG size that carries its own colour information, such as a gamma setting, is different: some browsers apply that information when drawing it, so its colours can change visibly in the new icon. If those colours matter, download that size's original PNG instead. Sizes larger than 256 pixels cannot go into a new .ico file, but you can still download them as PNG.

Making an icon from a photo or logo instead? The Icon Converter builds an .ico from any image, and the Favicon Generator makes every icon a website needs.

Private by design

Your icon file is read and taken apart inside your browser. It is not uploaded to a Doodleden server, and nothing about it is stored.

Files are processed in your browser and are not uploaded to or stored by Doodleden. This site is funded by advertising; our ad partners use cookies and similar technologies as described in our privacy policy.