Convert GIF to ICO
Convert GIF to ICO for free, right here in your browser. Your files are never uploaded, and they keep their names.
- Free
- Runs on your device
- No account
- No limits
- Moving GIFs are converted using only their first frame.
- Icons stop at 256 × 256. Bigger images are scaled down to fit.
How to convert GIF to ICO
- Drop your GIF files in the box above. You can also click the box to pick files, or paste them.
- Each file is converted to ICO on your own device. It usually takes a second or two.
- Download each file, or get them all in one zip. Every file keeps its name.
Why convert GIF to ICO?
Turns a GIF image into the icon format browsers and Windows expect.
ICO files are usually a good deal smaller than GIF, so this is a common way to save space.
About the two formats
GIF: Very old but still everywhere. It can only use 256 colours, so photos look rough, but every app can open it.
ICO: The icon format for Windows and websites. Browsers look for it when they show the small tab icon.
The whole conversion happens in your browser. Your file is unpacked into raw pixels and saved again as ICO. Nothing is sent to any server.
Common questions
Is the GIF to ICO converter free?
Yes, properly free. No paid tier, no trial, no watermark on the result and nothing to sign up for. Put as many files through it as you like, as often as you like.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. The GIF to ICO converter runs inside your browser, on your own machine, so your files never go anywhere. Big ones are fine too, up to whatever your browser can hold.
Does converting GIF to ICO lose quality?
No. Both GIF and ICO store every pixel exactly as it was, so the picture that comes out is identical to the one that went in. Only the file size and what can open the file change.
Will the ICO file be smaller than the GIF?
Usually much smaller. ICO compresses far harder than GIF, and it's common to see a file drop to a fraction of what it was with no visible difference. How much you save depends on the picture, since photographs compress better than screenshots and line art.
Does converting GIF to ICO keep the date and location from the original?
No. The image is rebuilt pixel by pixel, so the camera model, the date and any GPS location in the original aren't carried into the ICO file. That cuts both ways: it strips information you may not want to share, and it loses information you may have wanted to keep. Check the original with the metadata viewer first if it matters.
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