JPG to ICO Converter
Convert JPG images to ICO format.
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About JPG to ICO
People turn JPG files into icons for all sorts of reasons: a family photo for a desktop shortcut, a project folder that should be easy to spot, or a favicon for a site whose logo only exists as a JPG. This tool builds the .ico file for you.
Icons are shown as small squares, and that decides which pictures work. A wide landscape or a group photo turns into an unreadable speck at 16 pixels. A close crop of one face, a single object or a bold logo stays recognisable. The simpler the picture, the better the icon.
What happens when the picture is not square? The tool does not crop it and does not stretch it. It scales the whole picture down until it fits inside the square, puts it in the centre and leaves the rest of the square empty and transparent. A wide photo therefore becomes a narrow strip with empty bands above and below it, and looks smaller than the icons around it. For an icon that fills its space, crop the photo to a square in any photo editor before converting.
Keep in mind what a JPG cannot do. It has no transparency, so the icon will be the full rectangle of your picture, background included. A logo on a white background becomes a white tile, which looks fine on a light desktop and out of place on a dark taskbar. If you need an icon with a cut out shape, you need a PNG with a transparent background and the PNG to ICO converter.
Logos saved as JPG often have faint specks around their edges, left by JPG compression. They are easy to miss in the original and become more visible in the larger icon sizes. Use the highest quality copy of the picture that you can find.
The .ico file contains your picture at sizes from 16 up to 256 pixels. A source smaller than 256 pixels gives fewer sizes, because enlarging would only blur it. To use the icon in Windows, right click a shortcut, open Properties, choose Change Icon and browse to the file.
When Should I Use This?
Use it when the only version of your picture or logo is a JPG and you need a Windows icon or a simple favicon from it. If you have the same logo as a PNG with a transparent background, convert that file instead for a cleaner result.
How to Use JPG to ICO Step by Step
- Crop your picture to a square first, if it is not square already.
- Choose the JPG file and press Convert to ICO.
- Look at the preview to see how the picture sits inside the square.
- Download the .ico file.
- For a shortcut in Windows: right click it, open Properties, choose Change Icon and select the file.
Limitations
The icon cannot have a transparent or rounded shape, because a JPG has no transparency to begin with. Pictures that are not square leave empty space in the icon. Small or heavily compressed JPG files give soft icons.
Related Tools and Guide
- PNG to ICO gives a cleaner icon when you have a PNG with transparency.
- JPG to PNG is the first step if you want to cut out the background in an editor.
- ICO to PNG lets you view the icon you made as a normal picture.
- Guide: Choosing and preparing a picture that works as an icon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size should my JPG be?
Square and at least 256 by 256 pixels. That gives the full set of icon sizes and the sharpest result.
My picture is wide and not square. What will the icon look like?
The whole picture is fitted into the square and centred, with empty space above and below. Crop it to a square first if you want it to fill the icon.
Can the icon have a transparent background or a round shape?
Not when it starts from a JPG, because the JPG has a solid background. Use a PNG with a transparent background and the PNG to ICO converter for that.
How do I set the icon on a Windows shortcut?
Right click the shortcut, choose Properties, then Change Icon, then Browse, and pick the .ico file.
Why is my photo hard to recognise as a small icon?
At 16 or 32 pixels there is room for very little detail. Pick a close up of one subject, or a simple symbol with strong contrast.