Images conversion
Convert ICO to BMP
Updated Jul 2026
ICO files package one or more icon images together, while BMP is a plain, uncompressed bitmap that older Windows software still expects. To convert ICO to BMP, open the icon in a converter and export it as a bitmap. Doing this on your own computer keeps the icon, and the assets it holds, off other people's servers.
- Extension
- .ico
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Favicons, app icons
- Transparency
- Supported
- Extension
- .bmp
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Legacy Windows images
- Transparency
- None
Convert ICO to BMP on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert ICO to BMP
- Open Morphjet and drag in the ICO file, or a whole folder of icons at once.
- Choose BMP as the output format.
- Convert. The BMP is written next to your original, and nothing leaves your machine.
ICO vs BMP: what actually changes
| ICO | BMP | |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Small, often just a few KB | Larger, since bitmaps store every pixel uncompressed |
| Multiple sizes in one file | Yes, one ICO can hold several resolutions | No, a BMP is a single fixed size |
| Transparency | Yes | No, transparent areas become a solid color |
| Compression | Lossless, often uses compact internal encoding | Lossless, but typically stored uncompressed |
| Common use | App icons, favicons | Legacy Windows images, older editing tools |
| Recognized as an icon | Yes, by operating systems and browsers | No, it opens as a plain picture |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert ICO to BMP when an older program, embedded tool, or legacy workflow can only read plain bitmaps, or when you want to edit the icon's artwork pixel by pixel in a tool that doesn't understand icon files.
Keep the ICO if it still needs to work as an actual icon or favicon, since a BMP is just a flat picture and won't be recognized as a system or browser icon anymore.
Why not just use an online converter?
Icons often carry logos, favicons, or app art for a product that hasn't launched yet. Send that file through an online converter and an unfinished icon sits on someone else's server before you're ready to show it. Converting on your own computer keeps it on your machine instead.
Questions
Does converting ICO to BMP lose any quality?
No. Both formats are lossless, so the pixels come across exactly as they were in the ICO. What changes is the packaging, not the image quality.
What happens to transparent parts of the icon?
Standard BMP doesn't support transparency, so any transparent background in the ICO gets filled in with a solid color, usually white. If you need to keep transparency, keep the ICO or convert to a format like PNG instead.
My ICO has several sizes inside it. Which one becomes the BMP?
An ICO can bundle multiple resolutions, like 16x16 and 256x256, into one file. Converting to BMP gives you a single flat image at one size, so check which size you need before converting if that matters.
Can I convert ICO to BMP without uploading the file anywhere?
Yes. Morphjet converts it on your own computer, so the icon never travels over the internet, even with the wifi off.
Why would anyone still want a BMP?
BMP predates most modern image formats and is still what some older Windows software, embedded tools, and legacy pipelines expect. It's simple and uncompressed, which is exactly why it's rarely used for anything new.
Morphjet converts ICO, BMP, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.