.ico files
.ico file
Windows Icon
A container holding one icon at several sizes, used by Windows and by website favicons.
What opens a .ico file
- Windows
- Photos (built in), IrfanView, GIMP, Paint (built in — single size only)
- macOS
- Preview (built in), GIMP
- Linux
- GIMP, Image Viewer / Loupe (built in)
- In a browser
- Any web browser, favicon.io
What a .ico file is
An ICO file bundles the same icon at multiple resolutions and colour depths so Windows can pick the right one for the desktop, the taskbar or a tooltip. Browsers use the same format for the little favicon in a tab, which is why /favicon.ico still exists on most sites. Windows Photos will display one, but making or editing icons needs a dedicated tool such as GIMP or an online generator.
Converting it
A .ico file is commonly converted to .png, .svg, .icns or .bmp. It is a binary format, so a text editor will show unreadable characters rather than its contents.
Details
- Extension
- .ico
- Full name
- Windows Icon
- Category
- Images
- MIME type
- image/vnd.microsoft.icon
- Created by
- Microsoft
- Format
- Binary
Common questions
- How do I open a .ico file?
- On Windows use Photos (built in); on macOS use Preview (built in); on Linux use GIMP. A container holding one icon at several sizes, used by Windows and by website favicons.
- What is a .ico file?
- Windows Icon. An ICO file bundles the same icon at multiple resolutions and colour depths so Windows can pick the right one for the desktop, the taskbar or a tooltip. Browsers use the same format for the little favicon in a tab, which is why /favicon.ico still exists on most sites.
- Can I convert a .ico file?
- Yes. It is usually converted to .png, .svg, .icns or .bmp, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.
Related pages
- .jpg — JPEG Image The lossy photo format that every camera, phone and website has used since the 1
- .png — Portable Network Graphics Lossless image format with transparency, made for screenshots, logos and web gra
- .jpeg — JPEG Image (four-letter form) The same format as .jpg — the longer spelling, kept alive by Macs and Unix syste
- .heic — High Efficiency Image Container The format an iPhone saves photos in — about half the size of a JPEG at the same
- .webp — WebP Image Google's web image format — smaller than JPEG or PNG, and now supported everywhe
- .gif — Graphics Interchange Format The 256-colour animation format from 1987 that refuses to die.
- .psd — Adobe Photoshop Document Photoshop's working file, keeping layers, masks and text editable.
- .svg — Scalable Vector Graphics An XML text format describing shapes rather than pixels, so it stays sharp at an
- .ai — Adobe Illustrator Artwork Illustrator's vector working file, used for logos, icons and print artwork.
- .avif — AV1 Image File Format A royalty-free image format built on the AV1 video codec, smaller than JPEG or W
- .tiff — Tagged Image File Format The lossless, multi-page image format used in printing, scanning and archiving.
- .raw — Camera Raw Image Unprocessed sensor data from a camera — and, confusingly, a literal extension us
Sources
- Media Types Registry — IANA
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place