ICO
ICO raster imageUsed for pixel-based artwork, scans, and photographs.
- Family
- Images
- MIME
- image/vnd.microsoft.icon
To convert ICO to SVG, upload the ICO file, start the conversion and download the result. The pixels are traced into colour vector shapes; logos and flat artwork trace cleanly, while photos produce very large SVGs that only approximate the original.
Tracing ICO's pixel edges produces approximate shapes for SVG - A vectorization, not a recovery of whatever paths, layers, fonts, or control points the original designer actually used. ICO input enumerates every embedded square image, size, bit depth, PNG-or-bitmap encoding, mask, and alpha channel instead of decoding only the largest icon. Scalable XML graphics — paths, viewBox coordinates, styles, optional text — is what SVG output stores; whether tracing was involved, plus fonts, filters, and external assets, determine how editable it really is.
Source material - A Windows icon container that can hold several square pixel sizes and color depths. Rendered deliverable - XML vector artwork made from paths, shapes, paint, text, and optional embedded assets.
Need a different output? See all ICO conversion options, or check which other files convert to SVG.
Before converting a whole batch, read the difference between raster and vector images; it explains why tracing pixels cannot recreate missing geometry.
Used for pixel-based artwork, scans, and photographs.
Designed for resolution-independent illustrations.
Use traced SVG for simple flat marks that need scalable outlines. Photographs, texture, and evidence-grade source pixels belong in ICO or another raster master.
Inspect the embedded sizes and preview the icon at 16, 32, 48, and 256 pixels where required.
Zoom far in and inspect path smoothness, text, viewBox, clipping, and external references.
A conversion may create only one size, making the icon look soft in menus or high-density displays.
Tracing a bitmap produces approximate paths rather than restoring original geometry; fonts and filters may render differently.
Raster-to-SVG routes use image tracing; the output paths are an approximation of the source pixels.