Convert GIF to ICO
Ethical Tube's free GIF to ICO converter turns GIF images into ICO, the format for Windows icons and website favicons. It runs entirely in your browser, so your images are never uploaded, and it's free with no sign-up or watermark.
Files are converted on your device and never uploaded.
- Price
- Free
- Uploads
- None, it runs on your device
- Sign-up
- Not needed
- Batch
- Unlimited files
- Output
- ICO, 16 to 256 px
- Install
- Nothing to install
How it works
How to convert GIF to ICO
Add your GIF files
Drop GIF files onto the converter, click to choose them, or paste from the clipboard. Add as many as you like.
Check the settings
Pick which icon sizes to include. The defaults cover browser tabs, bookmarks, and Windows.
Download your ICO icons
Each file gets its own download button as soon as it's ready. Download all saves everything in one ZIP file.
The formats
GIF and ICO at a glance
What is a GIF file?
GIF is a decades-old image format best known for short looping animations. Each frame can use at most 256 colors, which suits simple graphics but makes photos look grainy, and it supports only on-or-off transparency. GIFs have no sound. It opens in every browser, messaging app, and social network, plus Windows Photos, macOS Preview, and image editors.
What is an ICO file?
ICO is the Windows icon format, and it's also the classic format for favicons, the small icons shown in browser tabs. One ICO file can hold the same icon at several sizes, such as 16, 32, and 48 pixels, so each place it appears gets a sharp version. It opens in Windows, all browsers (as a favicon), macOS Preview, GIMP, and icon editors.
Good to know
What changes when you convert GIF to ICO
- Both formats are lossless, so every pixel is kept exactly.
- Only the first frame of an animated GIF is kept. To keep the animation, convert the GIF to MP4 instead.
- The icon is saved at 16, 32, 48, 64, 128, and 256 pixels in one file, skipping sizes larger than the original. Non-square images are centered on a transparent square.
- Metadata such as the camera model, date, and GPS location isn't copied to the new file, so you don't share your location by accident.
- Very large images, around 100 megapixels or more, can exceed what the browser allows, especially on phones.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is this GIF to ICO converter free?
Yes. It's completely free, with no sign-up, no watermark, and no limit on how many files you convert. It costs Ethical Tube nothing to run, because the conversion happens on your own device rather than on a server.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs inside your browser with the browser's built-in image codecs plus small WebAssembly encoders, so your files never leave your device. Once the page has loaded, it even works offline.
Does converting GIF to ICO lose quality?
No. ICO is lossless, so the converted image has exactly the pixels of the GIF.
Does it keep GIF animations?
No. Only the first frame is converted to a still ICO. To keep the animation in a much smaller file, use the GIF to MP4 converter.
Can I convert several GIF files at once?
Yes. Add as many as you like. They're converted one after another, and you can download each ICO file as soon as it's ready or all of them in one ZIP file.
Does it work on iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows?
Yes. It works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari, on computers, iPhones, and Android phones.
What can open an ICO file?
Windows, all browsers (as a favicon), macOS Preview, GIMP, and icon editors.
Is there a file size limit?
There's no upload limit because nothing is uploaded. The practical limit is your device's memory: everyday files are fine, and most computers handle images up to about 100 megapixels.
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