ICO to TGA Converter
Convert ICO to TGA in your browser. ICO files usually come from website favicons, Windows programs and installers; TGA is the better fit for game textures and 3D software. You get a run-length encoded 32-bit TGA with alpha. Nothing is uploaded.
- Processed locally
- No upload, no wait
- No sign-up
- No watermark
Drop images here
or choose files · paste with Ctrl/⌘ V
ICO expected · other image formats also work
How to use ICO to TGA
- 1
Add your ICO files: drop them here, choose them, or paste from the clipboard.
- 2
There is nothing to tune: the TGA is written losslessly. Resizing and rotating are under More options if you need them.
- 3
Click Convert. Each file is decoded and encoded in a background thread on this device.
- 4
Download the .tga files one at a time or together as a ZIP.
Why use Aback Images for ico to tga
Where the TGA goes next
TGA opens in Unreal Engine, Unity, Blender, Photoshop, GIMP and Substance tools.
TGA next to ICO
Both sides are lossless, so the size depends on how well the TGA encoder handles this picture compared with the ICO's each size stored as a headerless BMP or as a complete PNG.
Written without a lossy pass
The TGA is written losslessly, so the pixels decoded from the ICO arrive unchanged.
Processed on your device
Your images are decoded, edited and encoded inside this browser tab by Web Workers. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
ICO vs TGA
What changes from ICO to TGA
Encoding: the ICO uses each size stored as a headerless BMP or as a complete PNG; TGA uses uncompressed or run-length encoded (RLE), and the download is a run-length encoded 32-bit TGA with alpha.
Bit depth: 1 to 32 bits per pixel, set per size in the ICO; TGA allows 8, 15, 16, 24 or 32 bits per pixel, and the TGA written here has 32 bits per pixel.
Colour: RGB or a palette, per image in the ICO; TGA supports RGB, greyscale or a colour map, written here as 8-bit sRGB.
Transparency: the ICO stores it as 8-bit alpha in 32-bit and PNG entries, or a 1-bit mask in old icons; the TGA keeps it as the fourth byte of each 32-bit pixel (or one bit in 16-bit files).
Other images: the ICO can hold several sizes of the same picture, typically 16, 32, 48 and 256 px; only the main image is converted.
Metadata: the ICO can carry only a directory of the sizes inside, with no EXIF; TGA can carry an image ID field and an optional extension area with author and date, but nothing is copied across.
About ICO
ICO is a container that bundles several sizes of the same icon (16, 32, 48, 256 px) into one file. It is still the most compatible format for website favicons and Windows app icons.
An ICO starts with a 6-byte ICONDIR (type 1 for icons) and a 16-byte entry per image giving width, height, colour count and offset. Each image is either a BMP without its file header plus an AND mask, or a complete PNG.
ICO files usually come from website favicons, Windows programs and installers.
About TGA
TGA is a simple raster format still widely used for game textures and 3D rendering pipelines because it stores alpha channels reliably and loads fast.
A TGA has an 18-byte header (ID length, colour map type, image type 2 for true colour or 10 for RLE, origin, size, bits per pixel and a descriptor byte whose bits give the alpha depth and whether rows run top-down), then the pixels; version 2 files end with a 'TRUEVISION-XFILE' footer.
When converting ICO to TGA makes sense
TGA is the better choice for game textures and 3D software, while ICO suits favicons and Windows icons.
TGA strengths: Reliable alpha channel; Fast and simple to load; Common in game engines. Drawbacks to weigh: Large files; Not viewable in browsers.
Limitations
- The largest image in the icon is the one converted; smaller sizes that were hand-tuned for 16 px are not carried over.
- The run-length encoding used here is lossless, and game engines read compressed and uncompressed TGA alike.
- TGA files do not open in browsers, so keep a PNG for previews.
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Frequently asked questions
Does converting ICO to TGA lose quality?
TGA is written losslessly, so the pixels are stored exactly as decoded. Not carried over: any several sizes of the same picture.
Is transparency kept in the TGA?
Yes. ICO stores it as 8-bit alpha in 32-bit and PNG entries, or a 1-bit mask in old icons, and the TGA is written with an alpha channel, so transparent areas stay transparent.
Which apps open TGA files?
Unreal Engine, Unity, Blender, Photoshop, GIMP and Substance tools. It does not open in web browsers.
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. Processing happens inside your browser with WebAssembly and Web Workers. The site only downloads the app code and codecs; your files never leave your device. You can confirm this with the live upload counter on the tool, or in your browser's network panel.
Can I process many files at once?
Yes. Drop a whole selection or folder. Files are processed in parallel on several worker threads, each result can be downloaded on its own, and everything can be saved as one ZIP.
Is it free? Is there a file limit or watermark?
It is free with no account, no watermark and no daily limit. The only limit is your device's memory: very large images (over roughly 100 megapixels) may be refused to keep the tab from crashing.