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ICO to WebP Converter

Upload a ICO file and it is converted to WebP right away. The input format is detected automatically.

Drag and drop ICO images here

Click to choose files · or paste with Ctrl+V

Convert many at once · up to 50MB per file

Your files are never uploaded. All conversion happens inside this browser.

ICO is a container format for favicons and Windows icons. Current browsers open ICO, but support in programs and services is uneven.

WebP is a web format that is smaller than JPG and supports transparency and animation. When you convert ICO to WebP, compatibility and typical uses change. See the comparison below for what changes.

This converter reads the file itself to confirm it is ICO, then converts it to WebP right in your browser. Your image is never uploaded.

ICO vs WebP: what's the difference?

ItemICOWebP
CompressionLosslessLossy or lossless
Transparent backgroundYesYes
AnimationNoYes
Introduced19852010
Support in programs and upload formsmoderatemoderate
Shown directly in browsersYesYes
Photo file size (JPG = 1)n/aabout 0.7×

What is ICO?

ICO is the format used for Windows icons and website favicons. Its distinguishing feature is that one file can hold several sizes, such as 16×16, 32×32 and 256×256.

What is WebP?

WebP is a web image format Google released in 2010. At the same quality it can be roughly 25-35% smaller than JPG, and it handles lossy and lossless compression, transparency and animation in a single format.

What changes when you convert ICO to WebP

Lossy compression is applied

ICO loses no quality, but WebP drops information the eye barely notices to shrink the file. Even next to the ICO original, the default quality of 90 is hard to tell apart, and the slider lets you tune size against quality.

An ICO with several sizes uses just one of them

An ICO can hold multiple sizes such as 16×16, 32×32 and 256×256. The result is one of those images. If you need a large image, use an ICO that contains the biggest size.

You can adjust quality, size and background color

When converting ICO to WebP, you can use the quality slider (default 90), exact width-and-height sizing with margin fill, and percentage resizing. ICO is lossless, so lowering quality to around 80 usually still looks natural. Lower it when size matters, and raise it to 95 or more for archiving.

How the file size changes

ICO files are small icons, so the size difference after any conversion is only a few KB.

When to convert

  • You want to make ICO images lighter so pages load faster
  • You want to pull a favicon or icon file out as an ordinary image for editing or documents
  • You're preparing an image for typical WebP uses (optimizing website images, transparent web graphics)

ICO → WebP: frequently asked questions

+Does converting ICO to WebP reduce quality?

WebP is lossy, so it can differ very slightly from the ICO original. At the default quality of 90 it is hard to tell apart by eye, and you can adjust it with the slider.

+What happens to the file size?

ICO files are small icons, so the size difference after any conversion is only a few KB. When conversion finishes, the size of each ICO original and WebP result and the change are shown per file.

+What are the benefits of saving as WebP?

Benefits of WebP include "Smaller files than JPG at the same quality" and "Supports transparency and animation". In some cases keeping ICO is better, so check the comparison table above for how the two formats differ.

+Why won't my ICO file open?

Every browser recognizes it as a favicon, and Windows Explorer can use it as an icon directly. In that case, converting ICO to WebP makes it open in more places.

+Is my file uploaded to a server?

No. Your ICO file is read and converted to WebP only inside this browser and is never sent to a server. EXIF data such as shooting location is also removed during conversion.

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