In this post, we will show you how to create an icon in Windows using Microsoft Paint 3D, or any of the free icon maker software or online tools. You can even convert a picture into an icon. Create as many icons as you want. When the icons are ready, you can change icons for desktop shortcuts, folders, etc.
What is an ICO file?
The ICO file format is used in Windows OS for an image that can be used for icons. They contain small images of different standard sizes and color depths.
Creating and saving icons has always been a tough job for amateurs. But it is no longer difficult to create, edit, and save icons. Remember icons do not act like normal images, they are embedded in special formats that are recognized by Windows or other systems. Standard icon sizes are 16×16, 32×32, and 48×48.
How to make an Icon for Windows 11/10
While some options help you create an icon from scratch, other options covered in this post can convert an image to an icon directly. The icon maker software and services covered are:
- Paint 3D.
- ICO Convert.
- X-Icon Editor.
- Junior Icon Editor.
- Quick Any2Ico.
Let’s check how to make an icon for Windows 10 using them.
1] Paint 3D
Paint 3D is a built-in application and one of the best options to create icons for Windows 10. The best part that I like is it lets you add 3D shapes to create an icon. You can use its 3D Library to find and insert 3D shapes and create a beautiful icon. Apart from that, it has 2D shapes, different brushes, cool stickers, a text tool, etc. Other than these features, it is also helpful to remove background image in Windows 10, save your drawing as GIF or video, convert 2D shapes to 3D objects, and more.
To create an icon using Paint 3D in Windows 10, launch it using the Start menu or search box. After that, create a new project using Menu. When the project is created, use the available tools visible on the top part of its interface. You can also insert an image (PNG, JPG, ICO, BMP, TIFF, etc.) from PC and use drawing tools to create your icon.
For each of the selected tool, there are multiple options visible on the right side. For example, if you have selected text tool, then you can use options like add text in 2D or 3D shape, change text font, text color, fill the background, make text italic, bold, underline, etc. In a similar way, if you have selected the Brushes tool, then you can use Marker, Calligraphy pen, Crayon, Pixel pen, Spray can, etc. Thickness and color for the selected option can also be set using the sidebar.
Just select a tool and options for the selected tool are visible on the right sidebar. Show your creativity and enhance your icon.
When the final icon is ready, use Save as option under Menu, and then select Image option. Now, set the custom width and height for the output icon. You can also select the output format- PNG, GIF, TIFF, JPG, or BMP.
This is the last step. Press the Save button and save your icon to any folder on your PC.
2] ICO Convert
ICO Convert is handy when you already have some image in PNG, BMP, or JPG format that you want to convert into an icon file. However, it is not just an icon converter service. There are some interesting features like crop image, use different shapes (or styles), and size to get the icon. All such features make it a good icon maker service.
This icoconvert.com link will open its homepage. Upload a supported format image (up to 50 MB). When the image is uploaded, crop the image to a selected area or use the entire image. After that, select the available styles. There are 10+ styles such as heart shape, square, round, etc. Select styles or simply ignore them.
Now you need to select the output format- PNG or ICO. Also, there is a Custom Sizes option to select any of the given sizes for the icon file. It has 192*192, 16*16, 64*64, 128*128, and other sizes. Select a size.
Finally, use the Convert ICO button. You will get the zip file that you can download to save icons available in different styles.
3] X-Icon Editor
X-Icon Editor service provides three ways to make an icon. You can import an existing image and convert image to icon, create an icon from scratch, and create an icon along with the uploaded image and icon maker tools. It provides text, pencil, brush, eyedropper, line, rectangle, circle, and eraser tools. You can create an icon in four sizes- 32*32, 24*24, 16*16, and 64*64. After that, you can save icons in ICO format one by one.
To create an icon using this service, open its homepage. After that, import an image or start making your icon using the available tools. You can also change the icon backgrounds using any of the four available backgrounds. The icon preview is visible on the center part of its interface to help you see if the output is coming good. When you’ve done everything, use the Export button to download your icon.
4] Junior Icon Editor
Junior Icon Editor software has some interesting features that make it a good icon maker software. You can open different tabs to create separate icons on a single interface. It also lets you add an existing image and edit it to create icon or make an icon from the beginning. It has a color picker, eraser, filled rounded rectangle, ellipse, rectangle, airbrush, pencil, text, curved line, and other tools to create the icon. You can also choose any of your favorite colors for making the icon.
To create an icon, download this software. After installation, open its interface and use File menu to open a new icon file or insert an image. It supports ICO, PNG, XPM, BMP, and PNG format images.
When the new file is created, use Tools menu on the left sidebar to start making your icon. The right-hand side menu helps to pick colors, set background opacity, foreground opacity, and preview the icon. Show your creativity and make a beautiful icon. To save the final output, use Save as option in the File menu.
5] Quick Any2Ico
Quick Any2Ico is another good icon maker software. You can add a JPG, PNG, or BMP image and convert it to icon file in ICO or PNG format. Apart from this, it has two unique features that make it a bit special. It lets you extract icon from an opened application and binary files (DLL, EXE, etc.). Also, if the source image is not squared for output, it lets you set the image to crop, stretch, or center mode so that you will have a better icon file.
Its download link is here. This is a portable software so you won’t need to install it. Just execute its EXE and its interface will open. There, you will have three options- add an image file to convert it to an icon, add a binary file, or extract the icon from an application window. Use any option to add the input image.
When image is fetched from the source, select the output folder. By default, it will generate an icon in ICO format. If you want, you can change it to PNG format by selecting Save as PNG instead of ICO option. After that, select the icon size. 512*512, 16*16, 256*256, 24*24, 64*64, and other sizes are available.
This is the last step. Press Extract it! button and it will save icon in the folder set by you.
Here I close this list that shows how to make an icon for Windows. The best and quickest way is to convert an image to an icon. If you want to make an icon from the beginning, then Microsoft Paint 3D is probably the best option.
What is the best free icon maker?
There are tons of free icon-maker apps available for Windows computers. However, you can take a look at the Junior Icon Editor. It is one of the best and free icon makers that is compatible with Windows 11, Windows 10, and some other older versions. Whether you want to edit an icon or create one, you can do that with the help of this app.
Which software is best for making icons?
As said earlier, there are tons of free apps available in the market for making icons. However, you need to use more than one to find the most suitable one. You can start testing by using the Paint 3D app.
