Images conversion
Convert PSD to ICO
Updated Jul 2026
PSD is the layered file Photoshop saves your work in. ICO is the small icon format used for favicons and app icons on Windows and in apps. Converting means flattening the design and exporting it at the icon sizes you need. Doing it on your own computer keeps the original design file off someone else's server.
- Extension
- .psd
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Photoshop files
- Transparency
- Supported
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
- Extension
- .ico
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Favicons, app icons
- Transparency
- Supported
Convert PSD to ICO on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert PSD to ICO
- Open Morphjet and drag in the PSD file, or a whole folder of them, that you want turned into icons.
- Choose ICO as the output format. Morphjet flattens the layers and generates the icon sizes an ICO needs.
- Convert. The ICO file is written next to your original, and nothing leaves your machine.
PSD vs ICO: what actually changes
| PSD | ICO | |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Large, often tens of megabytes with all layers kept | Tiny, usually just a few kilobytes |
| Quality | Lossless, full editable quality | Lossless, but flattened down to a fixed small size |
| Editable layers | Yes, layers, effects, and adjustments intact | No, flattened into a single image |
| Opens everywhere | No, needs Photoshop or a compatible editor | Yes, recognized as an icon by Windows, browsers, and app builders |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Metadata | Yes, layer names, color profiles, sometimes author info | No, just pixel data at fixed sizes |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert PSD to ICO when you've finished designing a logo or app icon in Photoshop and need a small icon file for a favicon, a Windows executable, or an app's icon set.
Keep the PSD if you're still editing the design, since flattening to ICO throws away your layers and you'd have to redo the work to make changes.
Why not just use an online converter?
PSD files can carry metadata like layer names, embedded color profiles, and sometimes the name of the person or studio who made them. Sending that file to an online converter means a stranger's server sees your working file, not just the finished icon. Converting on your own computer means the PSD, and whatever's saved inside it, never leaves your machine.
Questions
Does converting PSD to ICO lose quality?
The icon itself is lossless at whatever size you export, but ICO files are small and fixed size, so you lose the fine detail and editability of the original PSD. At 16x16 or 32x32 that detail wouldn't have been visible anyway.
Will the ICO keep my Photoshop layers?
No. ICO stores a flattened image at fixed pixel sizes, so your layers, effects, and adjustments get baked into one image. Keep the PSD around if you might need to edit the design again.
What sizes does an ICO file actually need?
Most icons bundle several sizes into one file, commonly 16x16, 32x32, 48x48, and 256x256, so the same ICO looks sharp as a favicon or a full-size app icon.
Can I convert PSD to ICO without uploading my design?
Yes. Morphjet converts on your own computer, so the PSD and everything embedded in it stay local. You can do it with your network disconnected.
Morphjet converts PSD, ICO, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.