ICON File Format (.icon)

ICON is ImageMagick's alternate name for the ICO format, the container Windows uses for small multi-resolution images shown as application, file and shortcut icons, so a file written as ICON is the same Windows icon container as one written as ICO.

.iconImage Files

ICON at a glance#

Full name	Microsoft icon
File extension	.icon
Category	Image Files
MIME types	image/vnd.microsoft.iconimage/x-icon
Other extensions	.ico
Compression	Varies from file to file
FileFlip support	FileFlip reads and writes this format

What a .icon file can hold#

These are the things a ICON file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.

Transparency (alpha channel)	Yes
Animation	No
Multiple images or pages	Yes

Strengths and limitations of ICON#

What ICON does well

Bundles several resolutions and color depths of the same icon into a single file, so Windows can pick the size it needs
Supports alpha transparency when the embedded images are stored as PNG

Where ICON falls short

Rarely used or recognized outside Windows icon and favicon contexts
Not a general-purpose photo or graphics format; most software expects it only where an icon is expected

Use ICON, or the equivalent ICO, for Windows application icons, favicons and shortcut images, where the file needs to offer several sizes in one container.

Convert to PNG when a single-resolution image is needed for general use, since most software outside Windows icon contexts doesn't expect an ICO/ICON container.

How to open a .icon file#

A .icon file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts ICON into a format your machine already opens, and it does it in the browser tab rather than on a server.

Platform	Programs that open it
Windows	File Explorer, IrfanView, GIMP, IcoFX
macOS	Preview, GIMP
Linux	GIMP, ImageMagick
Web	FileFlip

ICON questions people ask#

What is the difference between ICON and ICO?

There isn't one. ICON is ImageMagick's alternate name for its ICO coder, so a file written as ICON is the same Windows icon container as one written as ICO.

Why does ImageMagick have both ICO and ICON as format names?

ImageMagick registers ICON alongside ICO purely as a naming convenience, since some tools and scripts refer to Windows icon files by either name. Both write the same icon container.

What can an ICON/ICO file store?

An ICO/ICON file can store several versions of the same image at different sizes and color depths in one container, which is how Windows shows the right icon size for a desktop shortcut, a taskbar button, or a file listing.

Converting ICON files#

Every conversion runs inside your browser. The file is read from your disk, the work happens on your own machine, and nothing is uploaded. How FileFlip works names the engine behind each family and how to verify that for yourself.