CONVERT
ICO → PCX
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Fast, secure ICO to PCX conversion. No registration required.
ICO is the Windows icon container with multiple resolutions packed into one file. Reaching a PCX from there is one hop. Turn a ICO image into a PCX in seconds. The two formats share the same raster DNA so the visible quality is very close; what changes is how the file is packaged, which matters for browsers, editors and CMS uploaders. KaijuConverter runs the conversion server-side and deletes both files within two hours. Background. ICO is the Windows icon container with multiple resolutions packed into one file. Destination side, PCX is the legacy ZSoft/PC Paintbrush bitmap format from the DOS era.
ICO Icon
Source formatICO is the icon file format used for favicons and Windows application icons. A single ICO file can contain multiple image sizes and color depths for different display contexts.
PCX Image
Target formatPCX (PiCture eXchange) is a legacy raster image format created by ZSoft for their PC Paintbrush program. It was one of the first widely supported image formats on IBM PC compatibles and uses simple run-length encoding compression.
Why convert ICO to PCX
The real reason to move from ICO to PCX is almost never picture quality — both raster formats store essentially the same pixels. It is about the tools downstream: which editors open the file natively, which CMSes upload it without transcoding, which social platforms accept it. Picking PCX solves those edge cases at the cost of a short conversion step.
HOW TO CONVERT
ICO → PCX
Provide the ICO
Click or drag to upload. We accept a single ICO file per job, with an optional queue of additional images for batch mode.
Encode to PCX
The conversion decodes the ICO, resolves the colour space to sRGB and writes the PCX container around the pixel data.
Save the PCX
The download is streamed back over HTTPS. If you uploaded multiple files, a ZIP with all PCX outputs is produced instead.
Common Use Cases
Share across platforms
Send PCX files to anyone without worrying about whether they have the right software for ICO.
Embed in documents
Drop PCX output into Word, Google Docs, PowerPoint, Notion or a website without conversion warnings.
Optimize size
PCX often produces smaller files than ICO for web, email and storage.
Archive & future-proof
Store in a widely-supported format that will still open on future operating systems without legacy plugins.
ICO vs PCX — Strengths and limitations
What each format does best, and where it falls short.
ICO Strengths
- Multi-resolution: one file, many sizes, OS picks the right one.
- Universal favicon support in every browser since IE5.
- Supports transparency (1-bit since 1985, full alpha since XP).
- Tiny file size — an entire favicon pack typically fits in under 15 KB.
- No licensing or patent concerns — fully in the public domain spec-wise.
Limitations
- Cannot compress continuous-tone images efficiently — use PNG or WebP for photos.
- Format is essentially frozen in 1999 — no HDR, no wide gamut, no modern features.
- Maximum image dimension is 256×256 px (inside an ICO container).
PCX Strengths
- Simple format — easy to parse in any language.
- RLE compression keeps flat-color images compact.
- Historic archive format for 1985-1995 PC art.
- Stable since 1985 with no breaking changes.
Limitations
- Legacy — no new content created as PCX in 2026.
- Inefficient for photographs (RLE is wrong algorithm).
- Limited to 24-bit color depth.
ICO vs PCX — Technical specifications
Side-by-side comparison of the technical details.
ICO
- MIME type
- image/vnd.microsoft.icon
- Max resolutions per file
- 65 535 images
- Max single image size
- 256×256 px
- Color depths
- 1, 4, 8, 24, 32 bits per pixel
- Compression
- Uncompressed bitmap or embedded PNG (Vista+)
PCX
- MIME type
- image/x-pcx
- Compression
- Run-Length Encoding (RLE)
- Extension
- .pcx
- Header
- 128 bytes fixed
- Creator
- ZSoft Corporation (1985)
| Specification | ICO | PCX |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | image/vnd.microsoft.icon | image/x-pcx |
| Max resolutions per file | 65 535 images | — |
| Max single image size | 256×256 px | — |
| Color depths | 1, 4, 8, 24, 32 bits per pixel | — |
| Compression | Uncompressed bitmap or embedded PNG (Vista+) | Run-Length Encoding (RLE) |
| Extension | — | .pcx |
| Header | — | 128 bytes fixed |
| Creator | — | ZSoft Corporation (1985) |
ICO vs PCX — Typical file sizes
Approximate file sizes for common scenarios.
ICO
- Classic favicon (16×16 only) < 2 KB
- Multi-size favicon pack (16/32/48/256) 5-15 KB
- Full Windows app icon set 20-100 KB
PCX
- Simple clipart 2-40 KB
- VGA-era screenshot (320×200) 30-80 KB
- Scanned page 200 KB - 2 MB
Quality & Compatibility
ICO-to-PCX conversion does not change the visible content. Quality is capped by the ICO decode; re-encoding a lossy source at high quality cannot recover detail that was already discarded. For archival masters, keep the original ICO alongside the PCX copy.
Tips for Best Results
- Large ICO files may look identical to small PCX files for photographic content; pick quality based on end use, not headline megapixels.
- For print, export PCX at 300 DPI minimum and check that the colour profile embedded matches the print shop specification.
- Batch-convert related ICO images in one pass so they share identical encoder settings and look consistent side-by-side.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the codecs involved. If both ICO and PCX are lossy, the pixels are re-encoded and a small amount of detail is discarded — invisible at default quality settings on photographs. If PCX is lossless (PNG, TIFF, BMP) the output keeps every pixel of the decoded ICO exactly, but cannot recover detail that ICO had already compressed away.
Often yes, especially when PCX is lossless. ICO tuned for efficient web delivery will usually produce smaller files than PCX's default settings. If file size matters, drop the quality in Advanced or pick a more compressed target format instead.
KaijuConverter uploads over HTTPS, processes the image in an isolated container and deletes both the source and the output within two hours. No account is required, file contents are never logged, and we do not use uploads to train any model. For confidential material, the paid plan includes a data-processing agreement.
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Your files are encrypted during transfer, processed in isolated containers, and automatically deleted within 60 minutes. We never read, share, or store your data.