What happens when you convert WebP to ICO
- The image is decoded and written as a PNG-based icon of up to 256 by 256 pixels.
- ICO cannot animate, so only the first frame of an animated WebP is kept.
- Icons are limited to 256 by 256 pixels, so larger images are scaled down to fit, keeping their proportions.
How to convert WebP to ICO online
- Press "Choose WebP 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 WebP to ICO?
WebP files usually come from images served by websites to save bandwidth. People convert them to ICO because ICO is the format browsers and Windows use for website and program icons.
In short, WebP 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. WebP opens in all current browsers; older Photoshop and Windows Photo versions cannot open it, while ICO shown by browsers as a favicon; opening one directly depends on the viewer.
How to convert WebP to ICO on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your WebP 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 WebP 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 WebP 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 WebP 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 WebP 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.
WebP vs ICO: the differences
| WebP | ICO | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | WebP image | Windows icon |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | Microsoft | |
| First released | 2010 | 1985 |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | Yes | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | 24-bit colour plus an 8-bit alpha channel | up to 32-bit colour with alpha, at most 256 by 256 pixels |
| In a browser | opens in all current browsers; older Photoshop and Windows Photo versions cannot open it | shown by browsers as a favicon; opening one directly depends on the viewer |
| Common uses | images served by websites to save bandwidth | website favicons and Windows program icons |
| MIME type | image/webp | image/x-icon |
About WebP and ICO files
What is a WebP file?
WebP can be lossy or lossless and still keep transparency, and at the same visual quality it usually lands 25 to 35 percent smaller than JPG. It is the reason so many images saved from websites turn out not to be JPGs.
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.
WebP 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. The ICO is usually larger, because it stores every pixel without compression losses, while the WebP was compressed lossily.
Convert WebP to ICO from the command line
If you work in a terminal, ImageMagick converts WebP to ICO in one line:
magick input.webp output.icoTo convert every WebP in a folder at once, use magick mogrify -format ico *.webp. The converter on this page does the same job without installing anything.
WebP to ICO converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting WebP to ICO?
No further quality is lost, because ICO is written losslessly. Detail the WebP compression already removed does not come back.
Why is the ICO a different size from the WebP?
The ICO is usually larger, because it stores every pixel without compression losses, while the WebP was compressed lossily.
Are my WebP 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 WebP 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 WebP 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 WebP 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.