ICO to JPG Converter
An .ico file is a bundle of small icon images that only Windows and browser tabs really understand. Convert it to JPG to drop a program icon or a site's favicon into a document, a slide or an email.
Image Converter
or drop JPG, JPEG, JPE … files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
85 keeps photos visually identical to the original. Lower it only when you need a smaller file.
JPG, BMP and EPS have no transparency. Transparent pixels are filled with this color.
Hex color used behind transparent pixels, e.g. #FFFFFF.
This format holds a single image. Choose GIF or WebP output if you want to keep the animation.
A multi-size icon contains several resolutions in one file; browsers and operating systems pick the one they need.
Keep the original dimensions, or enter one side and the aspect ratio is kept.
Pixels for the side you chose above.
Percentage of the original dimensions.
sRGB is right for screens and the web. Keep the original for print workflows; grayscale discards color.
Metadata only, 0 keeps the original value. Printers and some portals read this number; it does not change pixel dimensions.
How to use this tool
- 1
Add the .ico files
Drag in icons or favicon.ico files, up to 20 at a time, 95 MB each.
- 2
Pick the background
JPG cannot be transparent. Transparent areas fills the empty corners with white by default; choose black or a custom color to match your page.
- 3
Convert to JPG
Press Convert to JPG. Quality is preset to 95 so flat colors and edges stay clean.
ICO to JPG takes the biggest picture stored in the icon, puts it on a solid background and saves it as a file every document editor, inbox and upload form accepts.
Why turn an icon into a JPG
The .ico format belongs to Windows: it packs several square images of the same icon, commonly 16, 32, 48 and 256 px, into one file so the system can pick the right one for the taskbar, a desktop shortcut or a file list. Internet Explorer 5 made favicon.ico the standard way for a website to show a small logo in the tab, which is why most sites still have one at their root.
Outside those two places the format is awkward. Document editors, slide tools, email programs and many upload forms do not list .ico, and some open only the smallest frame. A JPG of the largest frame is the safest version to paste into a software inventory, an IT guide with screenshots, a client report about a website, or a form field that asks for a logo as an image.
How big an icon prints at 72, 150 and 300 DPI
| cm | Pixels at | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 72 DPI | 150 DPI | 300 DPI | |
| 0.5 | 14 | 30 | 59 |
| 1 | 28 | 59 | 118 |
| 2 | 57 | 118 | 236 |
| 2.17 | 62 | 128 | 256 |
| 4.33 | 123 | 256 | 511 |
| 9.03 | 256 | 533 | 1067 |
ICO
Windows icon
ICO is the Microsoft icon format used for Windows program icons and website favicons. One .ico file can contain several images at different sizes, such as 16×16, 32×32, 48×48 and 256×256 pixels, so the system can pick the best fit. Each image can be stored as a bitmap or as PNG data and supports full alpha transparency. ICO is not meant for photos or large artwork. Browsers, Windows and most icon editors can read it.
- Compression
- Lossless
- Transparency
- Yes
- Animation
- No
- Introduced
- Microsoft
JPG
JPEG image
JPEG (or JPG) is the most widely used photo format, standardised by the Joint Photographic Experts Group in 1992. It uses lossy compression that discards fine detail the eye is unlikely to notice, which keeps photos small enough for the web, email and phone storage. It handles smooth gradients and natural scenes well, but sharp text, line art and flat colours pick up visible blocky or fuzzy artefacts. JPEG has no transparency and no animation, and every re-save loses a little more quality. Every browser, phone, camera and image editor can open it.
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- No
- Animation
- No
- Introduced
- 1992 · Joint Photographic Experts Group
People convert ICO to JPG when an icon or favicon has to go into a report, an email or a form that takes only photos, accepting a solid background in place of the transparent corners.
Transparency, frames and quality in the JPG
The table shows the hard limit of icons. The largest frame an ICO can hold is 256 × 256 px, a size Windows Vista introduced, so even the best icon prints at about 2.2 cm wide at 300 DPI, or about 4.3 cm at 150 DPI. Only at 72 DPI does it stretch to 9 cm, and print shops rarely work that coarse. Older icons and favicons often stop at 32 or 48 px and stay tiny.
Nearly every icon has transparent corners, and JPG has no alpha channel, so the converter fills them with the color set under Transparent areas. White suits most documents; pick black or a custom hex color for a dark slide. Anti-aliased edges blend into that color, so a mismatch shows as a faint halo. Quality 95 keeps edges and flat color crisp at very small file sizes.
If you need several sizes from one icon, or the icon must stay transparent, use PNG instead. To go the other way and build a multi-size icon from artwork, JPG to ICO packs sizes from 16 to 256 px into one file.
JPG or PNG for an extracted icon
Why JPG works
- Accepted by every document editor and upload form
- Small files, even at quality 95
- No transparency surprises on white pages
Where JPG falls short
- Transparent corners become a solid color
- Faint ringing around hard edges
- Re-saving adds more artifacts each time
ICO to JPG: frequently asked
Which of the icon sizes inside the ICO does the JPG use?
The largest frame in the file, because it has the most detail. A typical Windows application icon includes a 256 × 256 px image; a favicon may top out at 32 or 48 px, and the JPG will be that small.
Why does my converted icon have a white box around it?
The icon's transparent corners were filled with the Transparent areas color, white by default. Pick the background color of the document or slide, or convert with ICO to PNG to keep the transparency.
How large can I print an icon converted to JPG?
A 256 px icon covers about 2.2 cm at 300 DPI, enough for a list or a table cell. Enlarging it further makes edges soft, so for a big logo find the original artwork instead of the icon.
Can I convert the favicon of a website?
Yes, if you have the file: open the site's /favicon.ico address in a browser and save it, then upload it here. Many sites also offer a larger PNG touch icon, which gives a sharper result than a 32 px favicon.
Why does the JPG look slightly blurry on flat colors?
JPG is made for photographs, and hard edges against flat color show faint ringing. Quality 95 keeps it minimal; for pixel-perfect icons PNG is the better target.
| ICO to PNG | ICO to SVG | JPG to ICO |
| PNG to ICO | ICNS to PNG | Image converter |