Convert ICO to GIF
Ethical Tube's free ICO to GIF converter turns ICO icons into GIF, the classic format for short looping animations. It runs entirely in your browser, so your icons 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
- GIF, lossless
- Install
- Nothing to install
How it works
How to convert ICO to GIF
Add your ICO files
Drop ICO files onto the converter, click to choose them, or paste from the clipboard. Add as many as you like.
Check the settings
GIF is already selected. Set a maximum width or height if you want smaller images.
Download your GIF images
Each file gets its own download button as soon as it's ready. Download all saves everything in one ZIP file.
The formats
ICO and GIF at a glance
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.
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.
Good to know
What changes when you convert ICO to GIF
- Both formats are lossless, so every pixel is kept exactly.
- GIF can show only 256 colors, so photos and smooth gradients may look grainy or banded.
- The largest size stored in the icon file is used.
- 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 ICO to GIF 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 ICO to GIF lose quality?
No. GIF is lossless, so the converted image has exactly the pixels of the ICO.
Can I convert several ICO files at once?
Yes. Add as many as you like. They're converted one after another, and you can download each GIF 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 a GIF file?
Every browser, messaging app, and social network, plus Windows Photos, macOS Preview, and image 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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