Convert HEIC to ICO
Output is typically about 94% smaller.
- Files stay on your device
- Free, no sign-up
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Will converting HEIC to ICO make the file smaller?
Usually, yes. A 12-megapixel photo is around 1.6 MB as HEIC and around 100 KB as ICO — about 94% smaller. Because ICO is lossless the result depends entirely on the image content — flat colour and text compress far better than photographic detail.
Does converting HEIC to ICO lose quality?
No. ICO is lossless, so every pixel decoded from your HEIC file is stored exactly. Note that any compression artefacts already baked into the HEIC original are preserved too — converting to a lossless format cannot recover detail that was thrown away earlier.
Is transparency preserved when converting HEIC to ICO?
Yes. Both HEIC and ICO support an alpha channel, so transparent and semi-transparent pixels carry across unchanged — a logo with a cut-out background stays cut out, and soft drop shadows keep their gradient rather than picking up a white halo. Because ICO is lossless, the alpha channel is stored exactly as it was.
What happens to an animated HEIC?
Only the first frame is converted. Every conversion here decodes one frame onto a canvas and re-encodes it, so the result is always a still image — that applies to ICO as much as to any other target. To shrink an animation while keeping the motion, a video file (MP4 or WebM) is usually around a tenth of the size of the equivalent HEIC, and needs an encoder we do not ship yet.
Why can't Windows or Chrome open my HEIC file?
HEIC uses the patent-encumbered HEVC codec, which Google and Mozilla declined to license, so Chrome and Firefox cannot display it at all. Windows can, but only after installing a paid HEVC extension from the Microsoft Store. Converting to ICO sidesteps the whole problem — and you can stop the issue at the source by setting your iPhone to Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible, which saves JPEGs instead.
What sizes are in the ICO file?
Four — 16, 32, 48 and 256 pixels — packed into a single file, each stored as PNG. That is the point of the format: the browser or operating system picks whichever size it needs, so one favicon.ico covers tab icons, bookmarks and Windows shortcuts. Non-square images are centred rather than stretched, so start from a square source if you can.
How it works, and more about heic to ico
How it works
- Add your HEIC file. Drag a HEIC file onto the drop zone, or click to browse. You can select several at once.
- Choose your settings. ICO is lossless, so there is nothing to configure — the output matches the input pixel for pixel.
- Download the ICO. Conversion runs on your device as soon as each file is added — no upload, no queue. Download each result when it is ready.
HEIC and ICO side by side
| HEIC | ICO | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | High Efficiency Image Container | Windows Icon |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless |
| Transparency | Yes — alpha channel | Yes — alpha channel |
| Animation | Yes | No |
| Browser support | Safari only. Not supported by Chrome, Firefox or Edge. | Universal for favicons |
| Typical 12 MP photo | ~1.6 MB | ~100 KB |
| Usually used for | iPhone and iPad camera output | Website favicons and Windows application icons |
On a typical 12-megapixel phone photo, the ICO output comes out about 94% smaller than the HEIC original. These are order-of-magnitude figures for one kind of image — your own results will vary a great deal, because flat colour, text and line art behave nothing like photographic detail.
What to watch out for
- Only practical at small icon sizes
- Obsolete for general imagery
- Modern sites increasingly prefer SVG or PNG favicons
- Animation is lost. Only the first frame is converted — every conversion here decodes a single frame onto a canvas and re-encodes it, so the result is a still image whatever the target format. To shrink an animation and keep the motion, a video file is typically around a tenth of the size of the equivalent HEIC.
About the two formats
HEIC has been the iPhone default since iOS 11, and it is genuinely efficient — about half the size of JPEG at the same quality, with support for depth maps and Live Photos. The problem is everything that is not an Apple device: Windows needs a paid codec, most web forms reject it, and Chrome and Firefox cannot display it at all. That gap is why converting HEIC is one of the most common image tasks there is.
ICO is a container rather than a codec: it bundles the same icon at several sizes — typically 16, 32, 48 and 256 pixels — so the operating system or browser can pick the right one. Its remaining job is the favicon at the root of a website, and Windows application icons.
Other conversions
Everything runs on your device — nothing is uploaded, so there is no size limit, no queue and no copy left on a server afterwards. There is more on how browser-based conversion works if you want the detail. Otherwise, browse every image tool.