Sample ICO Files — Download Favicon Test Files (16, 32, 48, 256 px)
Windows Icon / favicon · .ico · MIME type image/x-icon
Download a sample ICO file in the sizes browsers and Windows actually request: 16×16 (browser tab), 32×32 (taskbar, bookmarks), 48×48 (Windows Explorer) and a multi-resolution ICO that bundles all of them plus a 256×256 PNG-compressed image. Use them to test favicon detection, icon extraction and upload validators that check the ICO header.
ICO is a container rather than an image format: it holds one or more BMP or PNG images at different sizes and bit depths, and the consumer picks the best match. That is why a single favicon.ico can look sharp on a 4K display and in a tiny browser tab.
Download sample ICO files
| File | Details | Size | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
sample-icon-16x16.ico | — | 703 B | |
sample-icon-32x32.ico | — | 2 KB | |
sample-icon-48x48.ico | — | 2 KB | |
sample-icon-multi-size.ico | — | 18 KB |
Need one of every images format? Download the images sample pack (1.3 MB, one small file of every images format (10 files)).
Use these files from the command line or CI
Every URL is stable and CORS-open. Pin the SHA-256 in your test and you will know the moment a fixture changes.
# Download one file curl -O https://pnb-website-bucket.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/samples/images/ico/sample-icon-16x16.ico # Verify it (SHA-256 is listed for every file above) shasum -a 256 sample-icon-16x16.ico # Machine-readable index of every sample file curl https://pnb-website-bucket.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/samples/index.json | jq '.files[] | select(.format=="ico")'
ICO format at a glance
| Full name | Windows Icon / favicon |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .ico |
| MIME type | image/x-icon |
| Introduced | Microsoft, Windows 1.0 (1985) |
| Contents | One or more BMP (DIB) or PNG images |
| Common sizes | 16, 32, 48, 64, 128, 256 px |
| Transparency | Yes (1-bit mask or 32-bit alpha) |
| Magic bytes | 00 00 01 00 |
What people test with sample ICO files
- Favicon serving and caching (/favicon.ico)
- Icon-extraction libraries that must enumerate embedded sizes
- Upload validators that check for a real ICO header rather than the extension
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need a favicon.ico in 2026?
Yes — browsers still request /favicon.ico when no <link rel="icon"> is found, and many tools (RSS readers, bookmark managers, Windows shortcuts) only understand ICO. The modern setup is a multi-size favicon.ico plus PNG and SVG icons declared in the HTML head.
How do I make my own favicon.ico?
Use our free Favicon Generator: drop in a PNG or SVG and it produces a multi-size favicon.ico, the Apple touch icon, Android icons, a web manifest and the HTML tags — entirely in your browser.
Are these ICO files safe to download?
Yes. Every file is generated by our own open script from scratch — nothing is scraped or user-uploaded — and contains no scripts, macros or executables. The SHA-256 of each file is published on this page so you can verify what you received.
Can I use the sample ICO files commercially?
Yes. They are free for any purpose, including commercial products, test suites, demos and redistribution, with no attribution required. There is nothing to license and no one to ask.
Can I hotlink these files or use them in CI?
Yes. Every link is a stable direct URL over HTTPS with Access-Control-Allow-Origin: * and long cache headers, so curl, wget, fetch() and test runners can pull them directly. A JSON index of every file is linked from each page (see the command-line section).
Related sample files
Free tools that work with ICO
- Favicon Generator — Turn any logo into a complete favicon package — favicon.ico, all PNG sizes, Apple touch icon, and webmanifest — in one click.
- Image Converter — Convert images between PNG, JPG, and WebP right in your browser. Files never leave your device.
Testing a file pipeline? We build them.
Uploads, conversions, previews, document processing and media workflows are the kind of production systems Pine & Birch designs and runs for clients — which is why we needed these files in the first place.
See how we can help