SVG to ICO converter
Convert an SVG into an ICO right here on the page. SVG stays perfectly sharp at any size, from a tiny favicon to a billboard, because it stores the shapes rather than a grid of pixels. Your file never leaves your computer.
How to convert SVG to ICO
- 1 Drop your SVG .svg file onto the page, or click to browse for it.
- 2 Enter how wide the ICO should be. That is the one thing you cannot change afterwards.
- 3 Convert. The work happens on your own machine, so how long it takes depends on your computer and the file.
- 4 Download the ICO, or add more files and do the whole set in one go.
Why convert SVG to ICO
- Holds several resolutions so the system never has to rescale.
- Still the most reliably recognised favicon format.
- favicon.ico at the root of a website.
- SVG: embedded scripts make untrusted SVG a security consideration.
SVG compared with ICO
How the two formats differ on the things that decide whether a conversion is worth making.
| Property | SVG | ICO |
|---|---|---|
| File extension | .svg | .ico |
| Compression | Uncompressed | Lossy or lossless |
| Animation | Yes | No |
| Multiple pages | No | Yes |
| Colour depth | Vector, resolution independent | Up to 32-bit with alpha |
| Typical file size | Largest | Depends on mode |
| Introduced | 2001 | 1985 |
| Developed by | W3C | Microsoft |
| Standard | Open | Proprietary |
Quality and what changes
SVG has no inherent resolution, so this conversion is really a decision about one: the geometry is drawn once at the pixel size you choose and then it is fixed. Export at the largest size the image will ever be shown at, and at two times that for high density screens, because enlarging the ICO afterwards only stretches pixels. Text inside the SVG becomes pixels too, so it stops being selectable and stops reflowing.
- SVG files can be read here but not created, so conversions run one way only.
- Only the first frame of an animated SVG is kept.
- Links and live text inside the SVG become part of the picture and stop working.
- Each ICO entry is capped at 256 by 256 pixels.
- One ICO limitation to keep in mind: each picture inside it is capped at a small size.
Questions about SVG to ICO
What happens to an animated SVG?
ICO holds a single image, so only one frame survives, normally the first. If you need the motion, convert to a format that keeps it such as MP4, WebM or WebP rather than to ICO.
What size should the ICO be?
Whatever size it will actually be displayed at, doubled for high density screens. SVG is resolution independent and ICO is not, so this is the one decision that cannot be revisited afterwards without re-exporting from the SVG.
Is there a maximum size for ICO?
Yes, ICO is limited to 256 x 256 pixels per entry. Images beyond that have to be scaled down or split before they can be written, which is a property of the format rather than of this tool.
Is my SVG file uploaded anywhere?
No. The whole thing runs inside the browser tab you already have open. Your SVG is read straight from your own disk, converted on your machine and handed back as an ICO. Nothing is sent anywhere, nothing is stored and there is no account.
Is there a file size limit?
There is no server-side limit because no server sees the file. The real ceiling is your device memory, since the input and the output both have to fit in the tab. A few hundred megabytes is usually fine on a desktop machine and considerably less on a phone.
Can I convert several SVG files at once?
Yes. Add as many as you like and they are processed one after another, then offered as separate ICO downloads or as a single ZIP. Speed depends on your own processor rather than on a queue.
Does the converter work offline?
Yes, after the page has loaded once. The engine is cached by the browser, so you can disconnect, reload and keep converting. That falls out of doing the work locally rather than being a separate mode you switch on.