imagetoolbox

Convert ICO to GIF

Convert ICO to GIF 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
Transparent areas

  • GIF can only use 256 colours, so photos may look grainy. Its transparency is on or off, so soft edges are blended onto the background colour you pick.

How to convert ICO to GIF

  1. Drop your ICO files in the box above. You can also click the box to pick files, or paste them.
  2. Each file is converted to GIF on your own device. It usually takes a second or two.
  3. Download each file, or get them all in one zip. Every file keeps its name.

Why convert ICO to GIF?

Most people do this because something they are using will not accept ICO files.

GIF files are usually much bigger than ICO, so only do this when something really needs GIF.

GIF transparency is on or off with nothing in between, so soft edges are blended onto the background colour.

About the two formats

ICO: The icon format for Windows and websites. Browsers look for it when they show the small tab icon.

GIF: Very old but still everywhere. It can only use 256 colours, so photos look rough, but every app can open it.

The whole conversion happens in your browser. Your file is unpacked into raw pixels and saved again as GIF. Nothing is sent to any server.

Common questions

Is the ICO to GIF 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 ICO to GIF 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 ICO to GIF lose quality?

No. Both ICO and GIF 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.

Does GIF keep the transparency from my ICO?

Partly. GIF transparency is on or off for each pixel with nothing in between, so a fully see-through area survives but a soft or faded edge can't. Those half transparent pixels are blended onto the background colour you choose, which stops the ragged halo you would otherwise get around the edges.

Will the GIF file be smaller than the ICO?

No, expect it to be a good deal bigger. GIF stores images far less efficiently than ICO, so only convert when something genuinely needs GIF. Compress the result afterwards if you have to send it anywhere.

Image tools

Free to use, with no account and no limits. Everything runs in your browser, and your files never leave your device.