Convert JPG to ICO

How to use the JPG to ICO converter

1. Choose a JPG with the subject close to the centre.
2. Select the sizes: everything from 16 to 256 for Windows, or 16, 32 and 48 for a website.
3. Keep “fill the square” to crop, or switch to padding, then convert.

Pictures that survive being tiny

At 16 and 32 pixels only bold, simple shapes remain readable. A tight close-up of a face, a single object or a big letter works; a wide landscape or a group shot turns into a smudge.

Photos are seldom square, so cropping from the centre is the default. If the subject sits to one side, crop the JPG first and convert the cropped copy.

Solid square icons

JPG has no transparency, so the icon is always a filled square. For a round badge or a cut-out mark, start from a transparent PNG and use the PNG to ICO page.

To give a Windows folder the new look, right-click it, choose Properties, open the Customize tab, press Change Icon and browse to the downloaded file.

Single or multiple sizes

The full set lets Windows pick a sharp image at any zoom level, from list view up to extra-large icons on the desktop. Some applications want just one big 256-pixel picture, while older software with fixed slots may need only a 32 or 16-pixel entry.

The small entries go into the file as classic bitmaps and the two largest as embedded PNG, matching what Windows expects.

Questions