What happens when you convert SVG to ICO
- The image is decoded and written as a PNG-based icon of up to 256 by 256 pixels.
- Icons are limited to 256 by 256 pixels, so larger images are scaled down to fit, keeping their proportions.
How to convert SVG to ICO online
- Press "Choose SVG files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. You can add files of any size your device can hold in memory.
- Adjust the settings if you need to. The output is lossless, so there is no quality setting to worry about.
- Press "Convert to ICO". Images convert in a second or two each.
- Save each ICO with its download button. Close the tab and every trace of the files is gone from memory.
Why convert SVG to ICO?
SVG files usually come from logos, icons, charts and illustrations on the web. People convert them to ICO because ICO is the format browsers and Windows use for website and program icons.
In short, SVG is good at what it was made for, and ICO is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. SVG renders natively in every browser, while ICO shown by browsers as a favicon; opening one directly depends on the viewer.
How to convert SVG to ICO on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your SVG files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each ICO is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the SVG files from Finder onto the drop zone and the ICO files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose SVG files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted ICO appears in Files, in the Downloads folder; to put it in your photo library, open it there, tap Share and choose Save Image.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose SVG files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The ICO is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for SVG to ICO
Icons are square by convention and can be at most 256 by 256 pixels. Choose 256 for modern Windows and high-resolution screens, 48 or 32 for classic desktop icons, and 16 or 32 for a website favicon. Non-square images are scaled to fit without being stretched.
SVG vs ICO: the differences
| SVG | ICO | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Scalable Vector Graphics | Windows icon |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | the World Wide Web Consortium | Microsoft |
| First released | 2001 | 1985 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | Yes | No |
| Vector or raster | Vector | Raster |
| Colour | any colour, described as shapes rather than pixels | up to 32-bit colour with alpha, at most 256 by 256 pixels |
| In a browser | renders natively in every browser | shown by browsers as a favicon; opening one directly depends on the viewer |
| Common uses | logos, icons, charts and illustrations on the web | website favicons and Windows program icons |
| MIME type | image/svg+xml | image/x-icon |
About SVG and ICO files
What is an SVG file?
SVG describes shapes as text instructions, so it stays sharp at any size and a simple logo can be under 5 KB. Turning it into pixels fixes it at one resolution, so choose the output size before converting.
What is an ICO file?
An ICO file is a small container that can hold several sizes of the same icon, and since Windows Vista each size may be stored as an embedded PNG. The largest size an ICO can hold is 256 by 256 pixels.
SVG to ICO not working? Common problems
- Colours look slightly different. Browsers convert images to the standard sRGB colour space when they decode them, so wide-gamut and CMYK images can shift a little.
- A phone photo comes out upright even though it looked sideways elsewhere. That is correct: the rotation stored in the photo is applied during conversion, so the ICO is always the right way up.
- The file is bigger than expected. An SVG is a short list of drawing instructions, while the ICO stores every pixel, so the output is normally larger and grows with the width you choose.
Convert SVG to ICO from the command line
If you work in a terminal, ImageMagick converts SVG to ICO in one line:
magick input.svg output.icoTo convert every SVG in a folder at once, use magick mogrify -format ico *.svg. For best results with SVG, set the size with -density or -resize. The converter on this page does the same job without installing anything.
SVG to ICO converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting SVG to ICO?
No. ICO is written losslessly, so the result matches the SVG exactly at the size you choose.
Why is the ICO a different size from the SVG?
An SVG is a short list of drawing instructions, while the ICO stores every pixel, so the output is normally larger and grows with the width you choose.
Are my SVG files uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs inside this browser tab using your browser's own image decoder, so your files stay on your device. You can disconnect from the internet after the page has loaded and it still works.
Can I convert several SVG files to ICO at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open an ICO file?
ICO shown by browsers as a favicon; opening one directly depends on the viewer. ICO is common for website favicons and Windows program icons.
Is this SVG to ICO converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many files you convert. The site is paid for by advertising, and because conversions run on your device there is no server cost per file.
Can I convert SVG to ICO on my phone?
Yes. The converter works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. Converted files are saved to the Downloads folder.