BMP vs ICO
A quick, plain-English comparison of the BMP and ICO file formats — and how to convert between them, free and in your browser.
| BMP | ICO | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | image | image |
| Extension | .bmp | .ico |
| MIME type | image/bmp | image/x-icon |
| Converts to | 33 formats | 32 formats |
| Direction here | read & write | read & write |
Convert between BMP and ICO
BMP vs ICO: frequently asked questions
What's the difference between BMP and ICO?
Uncompressed Windows bitmap raster image. Windows icon container holding several sizes.
Should I use BMP or ICO?
Both are image formats — the right one depends on compatibility, quality and file size for your use. Whichever you have, you can convert it to the other below in seconds.
How do I convert BMP to ICO?
Open the BMP-to-ICO converter, drop your BMP file in, and download the ICO. We auto-detect the real format from the file's bytes, so a mislabeled file still works.