What DDS compression formats are supported?

This tool supports the most common DDS formats: DXT1 (BC1), DXT3 (BC2), DXT5 (BC3), BC4 (ATI1), BC5 (ATI2), BC7, and uncompressed RGBA/BGRA/RGB formats. Cubemap and volume texture DDS files are not currently supported.

Can I crop the DDS texture before converting to ICO?

Yes — the tool provides an interactive crop overlay on the decoded texture. Drag the corner and edge handles to define exactly which portion of the DDS texture you want in the output ICO. Click Preview Crop to see the result before downloading.

Does my DDS file get uploaded to a server?

No. All processing — DDS decoding, cropping, and ICO encoding — happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript and the HTML5 Canvas API. Your file never leaves your device.

Why convert DDS to ICO?

ICO is the standard format for Windows application icons and browser favicons. Game developers and modders often want to use a specific region of a DDS texture — such as a logo, UI element, or character portrait — as an icon or favicon. Cropping first lets you isolate exactly the area you need before encoding it as a multi-size ICO.

What sizes does the output ICO contain?

The output ICO contains six embedded PNG frames: 16×16, 32×32, 48×48, 64×64, 128×128, and 256×256 pixels. Modern Windows and browsers automatically select the best size for the context.

How do I reset and convert a different DDS file?

Click the Start Over button that appears after loading a file. This clears the current DDS and resets the crop area so you can load a new file.

DDS to ICO Crop Converter

Load a DDS game texture, drag the crop handles to define exactly the region you need, preview the result, then download a multi-size ICO. Supports DXT1–DXT5, BC4–BC7, and uncompressed DDS. Everything runs in your browser — your files never leave your device.

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Drop a DDS file here

or Browse Files · DDS supported

What This Tool Does

This tool decodes DDS (DirectDraw Surface) game texture files entirely in the browser using a JavaScript DDS decoder that supports DXT1/BC1, DXT3/BC2, DXT5/BC3, BC4, BC5, BC7, and uncompressed RGBA/BGRA/RGB formats. The decoded texture is rendered onto an HTML5 Canvas with an interactive SVG crop overlay. You drag the handles to define your crop region, and when you convert, the selected area is scaled to six standard icon sizes (16, 32, 48, 64, 128, and 256 px) and assembled into a multi-size ICO file with PNG frames. No server upload is required — the full workflow runs client-side. The output ICO is compatible with Windows application icons, custom launchers, and browser favicons.

Who This Is For

Game developers and modders who need to extract a specific region from a DDS texture and export it as a Windows icon or favicon
3D artists who want to isolate a logo, portrait, or UI element from a DDS texture and create a multi-size icon asset
Web developers who want to use a game texture crop as a favicon without installing Photoshop or GIMP
Anyone needing to trim and convert a DDS asset to ICO format entirely in a browser, without software installation

DDS vs ICO: Format Comparison

Property	DDS	ICO
Primary use	GPU-compressed game textures	Windows application icons & favicons
Compression	GPU block compression (DXT, BCn)	PNG frames (lossless) per size
Multi-size support	Mipmaps (same image, smaller)	Yes — separate image per size
Transparency support	Yes — full alpha channel	Yes — full alpha in PNG frames
Browser/OS support	Not natively supported	Universal (Windows, browsers)
Typical sizes	Up to 4096×4096 or larger	16, 32, 48, 64, 128, 256 px
Favicon use	Not supported	Native favicon format
Best for	In-engine rendering	App icons, favicons, UI assets

Frequently Asked Questions

What DDS compression types are supported?▼

The tool supports DXT1 (BC1), DXT3 (BC2), DXT5 (BC3), BC4 (ATI1 single-channel), BC5 (ATI2 dual-channel), BC7 (high-quality), and uncompressed formats including RGBA8, BGRA8, and RGB8. Cubemap DDS and volume/3D textures are not currently supported.

How precise is the crop tool?▼

The crop operates at native pixel accuracy on the original DDS dimensions. The canvas is scaled to fit your screen for display, but the crop coordinates are mapped back to the full-resolution decoded texture before ICO generation. You get an ICO whose frames are derived from the exact pixel dimensions shown in the crop dimensions badge.

Can I move the crop selection after setting it?▼

Yes — click and drag anywhere inside the crop rectangle (away from the handles) to reposition it anywhere within the texture. Handles resize; the interior pans.

Will the alpha channel be preserved in the ICO?▼

Yes — for DXT3, DXT5, BC7, and uncompressed RGBA source files, the alpha channel is preserved in all PNG frames of the ICO output. DXT1 files with 1-bit alpha will also preserve transparency. ICO with embedded PNG frames supports full 8-bit alpha.

What browsers are supported?▼

All modern browsers — Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari (desktop and mobile). The DDS decoder, crop UI, and ICO encoder all use standard HTML5 Canvas and Blob APIs supported universally since 2015.

Is there a file size limit?▼

There is no server-imposed limit because no upload occurs. The practical limit is your browser's available RAM. Most modern desktops handle typical DDS game textures (up to 4096×4096) comfortably.

DDS to ICO Crop Converter

What This Tool Does

Who This Is For

DDS vs ICO: Format Comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

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