Windows ICO & Icon Sizes Made Simple – Windows 11 Icons
🛠️ In this post I’ll explore everything you need to know about Windows 11 ICO files, standard Windows icon sizes, colour depths, useful Icon Design tools for creating ICO files, and how to get the best results, whether its DIY or engaging a professional icon designer.
Want to know the best way to create a Windows ICO Desktop icon for Windows 11?
Designing a great-looking Windows icon doesn’t have to be complicated, but getting it right matters more than ever. Whether you’re building a Windows desktop application, packaging an installer, or just want your shortcut icon to look sharp on any Windows device, a properly built .ico file is still essential for modern Windows applications. In this icon design guide, I’ll break down everything you need to know, from icon sizes and formats to smart tools and professional tips.
All the standard Windows ICO Icon Sizes you’ll need, for a perfect Windows Desktop Icon
What’s the Minimum I Need to Create a Windows Icon?
The quick and dirty answer is:
- ✅ One high-quality PNG image at 256×256 pixels
- ✅ Make sure it is 32-bit colour depth with transparency (alpha channel), ideally PNG format
- ✅ An icon design tool like IconWorkshop to convert it to
.icoformat
This will work, but it probably won’t look good in all usage cases. Ideally you need to create a minimum set of optimised images at 256×256, 48×48, 32×32 and 16×16 pixels, 32 bit transparent PNG, so windows can display a pixel perfect crisp icon image wherever it is needed.
Why So Many Icon Sizes?
Windows icons (ICO files) are not like a single image file — they’re a container for multiple versions of the same icon. Each version is optimised for a different display scenario: 16×16 for taskbars and lists, 32×32 for desktop shortcuts, 256×256 for modern high-DPI displays.
If you include only a single large PNG (256×256), Windows will scale it down for smaller sizes, but this can result in ugly, blurry icons. Text becomes unreadable, thin lines disappear, and pixel alignment goes out the window. It’s not really Window’s fault, there is only so much detail you can squeeze into 16×16 pixels, which is why it is always best to redraw each size pixel perfect. However, if you don’t have the time or tools to draw icons from scratch there are tools that can make a better job of downscaling that Windows. It won’t be perfect but if your icon is simple, it might be ‘Ok’.
👉 See the difference in our post: Icon Maker Software Review – Dumb Scaling vs Pro Design
The optimal route to designing your perfect Windows ICO file
- 1️⃣ Draw each of the standard Windows Icon Sizes individually, using Photoshop or another editing tool, pixel perfect for each size, no auto-scaling!
- 2️⃣ Combine and Export your Windows ICO file with a tool like Axialis Icon Workshop
- 3️⃣ Test your ICO file in Windows 11 Explorer to spot any blurring or scaling issues
Can’t get the results you want? Maybe it’s time to try a professional Icon Designer
📐 Default vs Optional Windows ICO Sizes
| Size (px) | Required? | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 16×16 | ✅ Yes | Toolbar icons, favicons |
| 24×24 | 🔘 Optional | Smaller menus or UIs |
| 32×32 | ✅ Yes | Classic desktop icon size |
| 48×48 | ✅ Yes | Standard explorer size |
| 64×64 | 🔘 Optional | Windows 7/10 higher-res |
| 128×128 | 🔘 Optional | HiDPI screens |
| 256×256 | ✅ Yes | Modern icons and scaling |
Professional icon designers will often add intermediate sizes like 24px and 64px to provide better results in uncommon UI states, for example for a Windows Software UI that has it’s own specific dimensions for Menu or Ribbon Bar Icons. You can also include grayscale or 8-bit versions for legacy support, though this is rarely needed now.
Viewing ICO File Sizes in Windows Explorer
To inspect the different sizes embedded within an ICO file:
- 🔹 Save your ICO files into a folder.
- 🔹 Use the ‘View’ dropdown to select various icon sizes.
- 🔹 Windows will automatically scale the icons as you adjust the view settings.
It’s easy to check your Windows ICO file sizes in Windows 11
🖼️ Why One Icon Doesn’t Fit All
Here’s the real problem: Windows will happily take your 256×256 PNG and auto-scale it down to 16×16… but the result will almost always be blurry or unreadable. Small icons require a completely different design approach, fewer details, bolder shapes, and higher contrast.
We often compare this to designing logos: a detailed logo might look fantastic on a poster, but shrink it down to fit on a pen and it becomes a smudge.
That’s why professional icon designers manually create each key size, ensuring your icon looks sharp at any resolution, especially in industries like CAD, medical, or data-heavy applications where clarity matters.
Tools to Build and Test Windows ICO Files
🏆 IconWorkshop – Our Favourite
- 🔹 Drag-and-drop multiple PNGs
- 🔹 Built-in editing tools for tweaking individual sizes
- 🔹 Supports alpha transparency and legacy formats
- 🔹 Batch export capabilities
If you’re serious about icon design, IconWorkshop is worth every penny. It’s been around for years and is used by countless professional designers, including us.
Axialis Icon Workshop ICO editor and icon design tool
🧩 Other Alternatives
- 🔹 GIMP or Photoshop (with plugins): Great for editing, but ICO export requires plugins or workarounds
- 🔹 IcoFX: Budget-friendly alternative with decent editing tools
- 🔹 Online converters: Fast and easy, but often lacking in quality and transparency support
🧑💼 When to Use a Professional Designer
If you care about your software’s polish, user experience, and brand perception, a professionally designed icon is a smart investment. Here’s why:
- 🔹 Precision matters: 16×16 icons need completely different layouts than 256×256
- 🔹 Brand consistency: Custom icons reinforce your visual identity across platforms
- 🔹 Performance: Optimised icons reduce visual noise and cognitive load
- 🔹 Compatibility: We ensure your icons work across all Windows versions
You may think just exporting your company logo is good enough, but remember, choosing a good Windows Icon Designer is not just about the quality and crispness of the ICO file itself, but the entire custom icon design process. From concepts to delivery, you’ll see ideas you never imagined, so it’s well worth the investment.
🚀 Large Projects? Use Our Icon Manager Tool
Managing 50 or 500 icons across multiple apps? Our custom-built Icon Manager platform helps you:
- 🔹 Upload and manage all icons in one place
- 🔹 Automatically combine PNGs into ICO files
- 🔹 Preview icons at all sizes
- 🔹 Comment, approve, and download files instantly
🍏 What About macOS Icons?
macOS uses a similar format called .icns, which also supports multiple sub-images and transparency. It’s typically used for Mac app icons and follows its own export process. We support both formats — just ask!
✅ Summary: What You Need to Know
- 🔹A 256×256 PNG is the minimum needed, but won’t look good at small sizes without custom design
- 🔹A full ICO should include multiple sizes: 16, 32, 48, and 256px
- 🔹Use IconWorkshop to build and test your ICO
- 🔹For pro results, each size should be designed individually
- 🔹Icon Manager can help automate this for large projects
Windows Icons: Your Questions Answered
- 📐 What sizes do I need for a Windows ICO file?
- The most commonly used sizes are 16×16, 24×24, 32×32, 48×48, and 256×256 pixels. The 256px version is used for high-res scaling, but smaller sizes are still essential for clarity in older or compact UI elements.
- 🖼 Why do my icons look blurry when scaled?
- Pixel-perfect alignment is critical at smaller sizes. Automatically scaled icons often become blurry or uneven — especially at 16px. We recommend manually designing key sizes for best clarity. See our blog post: Why Icons Look Blurry.
- 🛠 Can I create ICO files myself?
- Yes. You can use tools like IconWorkshop or free converters, but for professional results you’ll need to create pixel-perfect PNGs in each required size before building your ICO. Our full guide explains how.
- 🔄 What’s the difference between ICO and PNG?
- ICO is a container format used by Windows to store multiple icon sizes and color depths in one file. PNG is a modern image format — typically used for web and mobile UI. Most icon design work is done in SVG or PNG and then converted to ICO for Windows use.
- 🧰 What tools do professional designers use?
- We design in Illustrator, Affinity, and Photoshop, exporting high-quality PNGs. To generate ICO files, we recommend IconWorkshop. Our team also uses our own in-house platform, Icon Manager, to streamline large icon libraries.
- 👨🎨 Can you design Windows icons for my app or software?
- Absolutely. Whether you need a single app icon or a complete UI icon set, we can help. We’ve been designing icons for Windows software for over 20 years, with deep experience across engineering, finance, and B2B tools. Talk to Adam today.
Still have questions? We’re happy to help.
✋ Ready to Look More Professional?
You’ve got two options:
- 🔹DIY: Create a 256×256 PNG and convert it using IconWorkshop. It’ll work, just don’t expect pixel-perfect clarity at small sizes.
- 🔹Work with a Pro: Let us create a fully optimised ICO file with pixel-perfect artwork for every key size. Learn more about our custom icon design services.
Talk to Adam today for a no-obligation chat about your icon needs.
