How to convert BMP to Icon (ICO)
- 1
Upload your file
Drag and drop a file or click to select one. Keep this page open while the file uploads and converts.
- 2
Convert BMP to Icon (ICO)
NexMedia converts BMP to Icon (ICO) on its own servers. Processing time depends on the file size and how busy the queue is.
- 3
Download the converted file
When the conversion finishes, the download appears on this page. Your converted file is kept for 2 hours, then deleted.
About BMP
BMP is the device-independent bitmap format of Windows. It usually stores every pixel uncompressed.
Legacy Windows software, simple paint programs and embedded systems.
Without compression a BMP is many times larger than a PNG of the same image.
Convert BMP to ICO online free, no account required — ICO is the icon format of Windows and website favicons.
Change BMP to ICO without losing quality — convert BMP to ICO free in your browser.
Why is my BMP file so enormous compared to the same picture as PNG? The Windows bitmap stores pixels raw with no compression at all, so even a small screenshot can weigh megabytes that PNG stores in kilobytes.
About Icon (ICO)
ICO is the Windows icon format. One .ico file can hold several images of the same icon at different sizes.
Website favicons and the icons of Windows programs and shortcuts.
Each image in an ICO file can be at most 256 × 256 pixels, so the format is not suited to photos.
Why convert an image to ICO? A website favicon needs it — browsers ask for favicon.ico, and one ICO file carries every size from 16 to 256 pixels.
What changes when you convert BMP to ICO
- The BMP picture is re-encoded as ICO at the default quality settings, so it looks close to the original but is not bit-identical.
Settings you can change
Before you convert BMP to ICO, you can adjust: Width, Height, Scale fit, Crop position, Never enlarge, Quality, Lossless, Progressive, Remove metadata, Auto-orient from EXIF, Rotate, and Background.
Limits
Each plan sets a maximum file size and a number of conversions per day, and video and audio files also have a maximum length. Guests can convert files up to 100 megabytes and 5 per day; a free account raises this to 500 megabytes and 25 per day; paid plans go up to 100 gigabytes.
Your converted ICO file is kept for 2 hours, then deleted.
BMP to ICO: questions and answers
Does converting BMP to ICO reduce quality?
The BMP picture is re-encoded as ICO at the default quality settings, so it looks close to the original but is not bit-identical.
What is the difference between BMP and ICO?
BMP is the Windows bitmap format, usually uncompressed. ICO is the icon format of Windows and website favicons.
Can I change the settings when converting BMP to ICO?
Before you convert BMP to ICO, you can adjust: Width, Height, Scale fit, Crop position, Never enlarge, Quality, Lossless, Progressive, Remove metadata, Auto-orient from EXIF, Rotate, and Background.
Do I need an account to convert BMP to ICO?
No. You can convert BMP to ICO without an account; signing in raises the file-size and daily limits.
How long is my converted ICO file kept?
The ICO file you convert from BMP is kept for 2 hours, then deleted automatically.
Is the ICO an exact copy of my BMP?
The BMP picture is re-encoded as ICO at the default quality settings, so it looks close to the original but is not bit-identical.
Will converting BMP to ICO change my original file?
No. The conversion reads your BMP and writes a new ICO file, leaving your original BMP file untouched.