TIFF to ICO Converter

How to Convert TIFF to ICO Online

1. Upload Your TIFF File: Drag and drop or click "Add Files" to select a .tiff or .tif image. Batch conversion is supported, and Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared.
2. Pick Image Resolution: Choose a Preset size (256P, 192P, 128P, 64P, 48P, 32P, or 16P) to lock the icon to a standard square dimension, scale the source by Resolution Percentage, Keep Original to use the TIFF's native pixels, or enter custom Width / Height / Width×Height values. ICO supports up to 256×256 pixels, the maximum since Windows Vista.
3. Confirm Square Output (Optional): ICO icons must be square. If the source TIFF is non-square, choose a single dimension preset or enter matching Width and Height so the output isn't stretched. Starting from a TIFF at least 256×256 yields the cleanest downscale to 16×16 and 32×32.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert. xconvert produces a single-resolution .ico file at the size you picked. To build a multi-resolution favicon, run the conversion once per size and merge externally, or start from a PNG to ICO workflow if your source is already raster-flat.

Why Convert TIFF to ICO?

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is the print and archival workhorse — 16- and 32-bit color, lossless LZW or ZIP compression, alpha channels, and multi-page support make it the default output of professional scanners and Adobe Photoshop's "save as archive" workflow. ICO is the Windows icon container that has shipped since Windows 1.0 (1985) and remains the single format every desktop browser still recognizes for favicon.ico at a website's root. Converting TIFF to ICO bridges high-fidelity source art to a 256×256-capped icon target.

• Favicons from print artwork — Logos delivered as 600 DPI TIFFs by an agency need to land in a browser tab at 16×16. Converting through ICO gives you the file Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge will fetch from /favicon.ico even when no <link rel="icon"> tag is set.
• Windows desktop and shortcut icons — Custom folder icons, shortcut overrides via Properties → Change Icon, and Electron app .exe resources all expect .ico. TIFF source art keeps alpha-channel cutouts intact through the round-trip.
• Application installers — NSIS, Inno Setup, and WiX bundle a .ico for the installer EXE and Start Menu entry. Designers commonly hand off layered TIFFs, and the conversion produces the asset the installer toolchain expects.
• High-DPI taskbar and tile icons — Windows 10 and 11 use 32×32 and 48×48 from the ICO for taskbar pinning and the Start Menu. Scaling down from a 256×256 source TIFF preserves anti-aliased edges that 16×16 alone would lose.
• Scanned signature and stamp icons — Office workflows that scan a stamp to multi-page TIFF can extract page one as a transparent ICO for use in document templates or email signatures.
• Replacing default app icons — Legacy Windows apps with placeholder icons can be re-skinned with Resource Hacker or rcedit by swapping in a converted ICO from updated TIFF brand assets.

TIFF vs ICO — Format Comparison

Standard ICO Sizes — When to Use Which

For a complete favicon set, the favicon.ico that sits at a site's root should ideally contain 16×16, 32×32, and 48×48 — browsers pick the closest match automatically. Apple Touch (180×180) and Android/PWA (192×192, 512×512) are delivered as separate PNGs, not stored in the ICO.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the Image Compression option missing on this page?

ICO doesn't expose user-adjustable compression. Internally each image inside the ICO is stored as either a BMP bitmap (pre-Vista standard) or a PNG block (Vista and later). Both modes are lossless. To shrink the output, drop to a lower resolution preset or reduce color depth in your source TIFF before converting.

Can xconvert produce a multi-size ICO with 16, 32, and 48 in one file?

The browser-side converter outputs a single-resolution ICO per run. To build a multi-resolution favicon.ico, convert your TIFF three times (at 16P, 32P, and 48P), then merge the outputs with a desktop tool like ImageMagick (magick convert 16.ico 32.ico 48.ico favicon.ico) or a dedicated icon editor such as IcoFX or Greenfish Icon Editor. Most modern browsers also accept three separate PNGs via <link rel="icon" sizes="..."> tags as an alternative.

Will the transparency in my TIFF be preserved?

Yes, provided the TIFF carries a real alpha channel (extra samples flagged as "associated alpha"). ICO supports a full 8-bit alpha channel at 32-bit color depth, so soft edges and drop shadows survive the conversion. If your TIFF uses a white or checkerboard background instead of true alpha, the converter has no transparency to keep — you'll need to mask the background in an editor like Photopea or GIMP first.

What happens to multi-page TIFF files?

Multi-page TIFFs (common output from document scanners) get reduced to their first page on conversion. ICO can hold multiple images, but they're meant to be different resolutions of the same icon, not different documents. If you need every page, convert TIFF to PNG first and pick the page you want, or split the TIFF in a tool that handles multi-page output.

What's the best source resolution for the cleanest favicon?

Start with a TIFF at 256×256 or larger. Downscaling from a higher source gives the converter more pixel data to work with, and the result at 16×16 retains sharper anti-aliasing than upscaling from a smaller original. For logos with thin strokes (a 1-pixel stroke at 256×256 vanishes at 16×16), consider supplying a simplified "favicon-grade" TIFF that's been hinted for tiny rendering.

Should the source TIFF be square before I convert?

Strongly preferred. ICO icons are square by definition — every browser, Windows shell, and macOS tool that reads an .ico assumes a square aspect ratio. If you feed a 1200×800 landscape TIFF and pick a single dimension, the converter will stretch or letterbox depending on which dimension you set. Crop to square in an editor or use xconvert's crop image tool first.

Can I use the converted ICO file as a Mac icon?

Not directly. macOS uses .icns for application bundles, not .ico. For a Mac desktop shortcut (alias), you can drag any image into the "Get Info" preview box, but the system stores it as .icns internally. Browsers on macOS (Safari, Chrome, Firefox) do read favicon.ico files served from a website, so the ICO works fine for web favicons regardless of the visitor's OS.

Is there a difference between.tif and.tiff?

No — they're the same format with two extensions. The 3-letter .tif dates back to DOS / Windows 3.x filename limits; .tiff is the modern 4-letter version. The xconvert tool accepts both and produces identical ICO output either way.

How do I install the converted ICO as my site's favicon?

Upload the resulting favicon.ico to your site root so it's served at https://example.com/favicon.ico. Modern browsers fetch this automatically. For best coverage, also add <link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="/favicon.ico"> and <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/apple-touch-icon.png"> (separate 180×180 PNG) inside <head>. Hard-refresh (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R) — favicons are aggressively cached, sometimes for weeks.