Do You Need Text Recognition? Recognize text

ICO to AW Converter

ICO to AW conversion — fast, free, and browser-based

Drop files here. 1 GB maximum file size or Sign Up
to
Facebook Amazon Microsoft Tesla Nestle Walmart L'Oreal

Icon Liberation

ICO files lock images into icon contexts — converting to AW frees the visual content for use in presentations, websites, and print materials.

Fast Processing

ICO to AW conversion typically completes in seconds. Upload your file, choose the format, and download the result almost instantly.

Bulk Conversion

Need to convert dozens of ICO files? Upload them all and batch-convert to AW — much faster than processing one at a time.

How to convert ICO to AW

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose aw or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your aw file right afterwards

About formats

ICO is the icon file format for Microsoft Windows), introduced with Windows 1.0 in 1985 and serving as the standard container for application icons, file type icons, and shortcut icons throughout the Windows ecosystem. An ICO file bundles multiple image variants within a single container — each at different sizes (16x16, 32x32, 48x48, 256x256, and others) and color depths (4-bit, 8-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit with alpha) — allowing Windows to select the most appropriate image for each display context, from tiny taskbar buttons to large desktop icons. The container structure consists of an ICONDIR header, an array of ICONDIRENTRY records describing each variant, and the image data itself. Since Windows Vista, ICO files support embedded PNG-compressed images for the larger sizes (typically 256x256), dramatically reducing file size while maintaining quality with full alpha transparency. One advantage is automatic size adaptation — Windows pulls the optimal resolution from the ICO container for each context (Explorer list view, desktop tile, Alt-Tab preview), ensuring crisp display without the application managing separate image files. The format's operating system-level integration is another core strength: ICO files serve as the identity mechanism for executables, file associations, and shortcuts across all Windows versions, and web browsers use favicon.ico for website identity in tabs and bookmarks. ICO creation and editing is supported by image editors like GIMP, Inkscape, and dedicated icon tools, and the format remains essential for Windows application development.
Developer: Microsoft
Initial release: 1985
AW is the document format of Applix Words, the word processor component of the Applix office suite (later renamed Anyware Office) developed by Applix, Inc. for Unix and Linux workstations. The suite targeted enterprise Unix environments during the 1990s, providing word processing, spreadsheet, graphics, and presentation capabilities on platforms like Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, and Linux where Microsoft Office was unavailable. AW files store formatted text documents with support for character and paragraph styling, page layout, tables, headers and footers, and embedded graphics. The format uses a proprietary binary structure optimized for the Applix application's internal document model. Applix Words gained particular visibility in the Linux community during the late 1990s when it was bundled with several commercial Linux distributions as their default word processor before OpenOffice.org became widely available. One advantage was native Unix platform support — Applix provided professional word processing capabilities on Unix workstations at a time when few commercial alternatives existed. The format's tight integration with other Applix suite components enabled cross-referencing between word processing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Applix was acquired by Cognos in 2003, and the office suite was discontinued. AW files are primarily encountered today in archived documents from Unix enterprise environments of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Developer: Applix, Inc.
Initial release: 1992

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert ICO to AW?

Applix Words format embeds your icon in an Applix document — used in legacy Applix word processing workflows and FrameMaker migrations.

What software reads AW format?

You can open AW files with Applix Words (legacy), LibreOffice with import filter. Free alternatives are available for every platform.

Is batch ICO to AW conversion available?

Absolutely — upload multiple ICO files simultaneously and convert them all to AW at once. Batch mode saves considerable time on repetitive conversions.

Are my files safe during conversion?

Convertio uses encrypted connections for all transfers. Your ICO uploads are deleted immediately after conversion, and AW downloads are removed within 24 hours.

Does this work on mobile devices?

Yes — the ICO to AW converter works in any mobile browser on iOS and Android. No app installation is needed — just open convertio.tools and upload your file.

Does ICO to AW keep transparency?

If AW supports transparency (like PNG or WEBP), the alpha channel from your ICO is preserved. Formats without transparency support fill with a solid background.