PICON to WBMP Converter

Browser-based PICON to WBMP converter for image migration

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

Browser-Based Tool

No software to download — convert PICON to WBMP entirely in your web browser. Works on any device with an internet connection.

Any Device Works

Convert PICON to WBMP from Windows, macOS, Linux, or mobile — the browser-based tool adapts to any screen size and operating system.

Secure Processing

Uploaded PICON images are erased right after conversion, and the resulting WBMP files are purged within 24 hours — your data stays private.

How to convert PICON to WBMP

1

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

2

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

3

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

About formats

PICON (Personal Icon) is a small-format image type used in the X Window System ecosystem, developed by Steve Kinzler at Indiana University around 1990 as part of the picons (personal icons) database project. Picons are small, typically 48x48 pixel, color images used as visual identifiers for people, organizations, domains, and Usenet newsgroups in Unix mail readers, news readers, and other communication tools. The picon format is essentially an XPM (X PixMap) image stored with specific naming conventions and directory structures that allow software to look up the appropriate icon based on email address, domain name, or newsgroup name. The picons database organized thousands of these small images in a hierarchical directory structure keyed by domain name components (e.g., faces/com/example/user.xpm), enabling mail clients like exmstrstrstr and faces to automatically display a sender's photo or organizational logo alongside their messages. The system predated the modern concept of contact photos and avatars by more than a decade. One advantage is the system's pioneering role in visual identity for electronic communication: picons introduced the idea that email and Usenet messages should display a visual representation of the sender — a concept that eventually became standard in every modern email client, messaging app, and social media platform. The XPM-based format ensures that picons are displayable on any system with X Window libraries. Picon images are supported by ImageMagick, GIMP, and X Window display utilities, and the historical picons database remains archived online at Indiana University.
Developer: Steve Kinzler
Initial release: 1990
WBMP (Wireless Bitmap) is a monochrome (1-bit, black and white) image format defined as part of the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) specification, developed by the WAP Forum (later consolidated into the Open Mobile Alliance) around 1998. The format was designed for the extremely constrained mobile devices of the late 1990s and early 2000s — phones with small monochrome screens, minimal processing power, and narrow bandwidth GSM data connections. WBMP uses the simplest possible encoding: a type identifier byte (always 0 for the only defined type), width and height encoded as multi-byte integers using a variable-length scheme, and the raw pixel data where each bit represents one pixel (0 for white, 1 for black) packed eight per byte. There is no compression, no metadata, and no color — the format is purely a minimal container for delivering small monochrome graphics to WAP-era mobile browsers. One advantage was extreme efficiency on constrained devices — WBMP images could be decoded with virtually zero CPU overhead and minimal memory, critical on early mobile hardware running at single-digit megahertz clock speeds. The tiny file sizes are another strength: a typical WBMP icon occupied just a few hundred bytes, practical for transfer over 9.6 kbps GSM data channels. While the WAP ecosystem has been entirely superseded by modern mobile web browsers capable of rendering full-color JPEG, PNG, and WebP images, WBMP files remain encountered in archived mobile content from that transitional era.
Developer: WAP Forum
Initial release: 1998

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the reason to convert PICON to WBMP?

PICON is a small thumbnail/icon format from Unix systems with limited modern support. Converting to WBMP (1-bit monochrome for mobile devices) makes your images accessible on any modern platform.

Which software can view WBMP files?

WBMP files can be opened with GIMP, IrfanView, ImageMagick, XnView. Most of these are available across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Does converting PICON to WBMP affect quality?

The conversion preserves the visual content of your PICON image. WBMP will reproduce the same pixel data within the limits of its format capabilities.

Are my uploaded files kept private?

Your privacy is protected. All uploaded files are erased after conversion and output files are purged within 24 hours — nothing is stored long-term.

How long does PICON to WBMP conversion take?

Usually just seconds. PICON files are typically small, so the upload, conversion, and download process finishes very quickly on Convertio.

What exactly is the PICON format?

The PICON format is a small thumbnail/icon format from Unix systems, rooted in Unix file managers. Modern software rarely supports it natively, making conversion essential.