Make Bitmap Icons for All Systems

Features in Depth

Create high-quality icons for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux

Design your own icons for every OS. Generate Windows icons up to 768×768 for Windows 10 (and Windows 11), and macOS icons up to 1024×1024. For Unix/Linux, Android, and iOS, IconWorkshop creates alpha-enabled PNGs in a few clicks—also from existing Windows or Mac icons.

Modern icons rely on alpha transparency for smooth edges and soft shadows. IconWorkshop fully supports alpha in editing, format creation, batch processing, and conversions.

Our goal is simple: icon quality. The editor builds each required size and format from your original artwork with no loss.

Work in a Fully Integrated Workspace

Unlike multi-app toolchains, IconWorkshop keeps everything on screen. You’ll be more productive with a single, consistent interface.

All tools are instantly available, and full drag-and-drop support makes complex tasks—like composing icons from multiple images—simple.

The UI scales beautifully on Hi-DPI/Retina displays (200% or more), for pixel-perfect editing comfort.

Full support for PNG-compressed Windows icons (Vista/7/8/10/11)

IconWorkshop loads, creates, edits, and saves icons for Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10, and 11. These versions use ICO files containing PNG-compressed images, enabling icons up to 768×768 with alpha and smaller file sizes.

The format is supported across the product: editing, automatic size creation, batch generation/conversion, and normalization.

• Introducing Windows icons
• Create Windows icons with IconWorkshop

Design App Icons for iOS & Android

Mobile operating systems set strict icon guidelines. IconWorkshop helps you create spec-compliant app icons in multiple sizes/densities with consistent clarity.

Use Image Objects to assemble attractive icons by drag-and-drop (see object packs: iPhone Applications and iPhone Tab Bar Icons).

Compatible with Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator

Import layered PSD images and build a multi-resolution icon from a logo or app artwork.

Included plug-ins let you transfer images directly from Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop (no temp files):

• Adobe Photoshop up to 2024 (32/64-bit)
• Adobe Illustrator up to 2024 (32/64-bit)

Make Pixel-Perfect Icons Using Photoshop Templates

Use 15 ready-to-use Photoshop templates to create each required size precisely. Draw within the template’s zones and export to IconWorkshop—your complete icon (all sizes) is generated in seconds.

Draw your icon in Photoshop using the template; each format has its own drawing area. When transferred to IconWorkshop, the whole icon is built automatically with pixel-perfect quality.

Work Faster with Visual Studio 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012 Plug-ins

The Visual Studio add-in creates a direct bridge between the IDE and IconWorkshop. Open any icon from your solution, edit it in IconWorkshop, and when you save, Visual Studio refreshes the asset automatically.

• Introducing the Visual Studio plug-in
• Modify an icon in a VS solution using the plug-in

Create & Edit Icons in Image Strips for Toolbars

IconWorkshop is the only icon editor that lets you create and edit Image Strips for toolbars. Stop struggling with wide bitmaps—open them in IconWorkshop and edit each icon separately.

Read and write BMP and PNG image strips with alpha (32-bpp) or a fixed background color (≤24-bpp).

Add, copy, move, or remove icons in strips. You can also create new image strips using ready-to-use objects (see the Lite Toolbars pack).

• What is an Image Strip?
• Create toolbar icons using image strips

Create & Edit Bitmap Images

IconWorkshop also lets you create or modify bitmap images. Transparency is supported via alpha channels (32-bpp) or a fixed background color (≤24-bpp).

This is useful for application and web illustrations. Convert between formats like GIF and JPEG with web optimization. Supported formats include:

Create Attractive Icons Using Image Objects

Image Objects are an IconWorkshop exclusive. Drag pieces from the library to compose professional icons in minutes.

Objects are crafted by designers and provided as high-quality 256×256 PNGs, letting you easily produce icons with sizes up to 256×256 for Windows XP, Windows Vista/7/8/10, and macOS.

• What are Image Objects?
• How to use Image Objects to create icons

Convert Icons Between macOS and Windows

Read macOS icons and convert them to Windows formats (and vice-versa). IconWorkshop supports macOS icons up to macOS 26.

Target Windows (ICO, PNG) and macOS (ICNS, RSC, BIN) from the same artwork, or run batch conversions on multiple icons at once.

Automatically Create Icons from Images

Sometimes the fastest path is importing an image. Bring in PSD, PNG, BMP, SVG, JPEG, GIF, JPEG 2000, and more.

Create a complete multi-format icon in one operation: alpha is preserved, optimized palettes are generated for 256-color formats, and even 16-color variants with transparency are produced automatically.

Learn with a Comprehensive Help System

IconWorkshop includes a complete, professionally written help system—richly illustrated and easy to follow:

• General information about Windows & macOS icons and how to use them in software projects (4 topics)
• Getting started lessons (14 topics)
• How-to step-by-step tutorials (35 topics)
• Full feature reference (150+ topics)

Batch Procedures

Automate repetitive work: create icons from a set of PNGs, convert groups of Mac/Windows icons in seconds, normalize sizes, and more.

Librarian & Explorer with Previews

Use the integrated Librarian to manage media and icon files—store, move, copy, and extract assets as you work.

The built-in File Explorer browses disks and discovers images and files containing icons. View thumbnails and open any file with a single click.

Windows System Requirements

Axialis IconWorkshop is fully compatible with Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11. Available in 64 bit & 32 bit.

Minimum Requirements

• Intel Pentium-class CPU — 1.4 GHz
• True-color GPU (16.8 M colors) — 1280×1024
• 2 GB RAM
• Windows 7

Recommended Configuration

• Intel Core-Duo-class CPU — 2 GHz or more
• True-color GPU (16.8 M colors) — 1920×1200
• 4 GB RAM
• Windows 10, 11

Axialis License

When you purchase an Axialis product, you receive a license with clear and valuable benefits.

What is included in the Axialis License?

Your license is perpetual, meaning you can use the product forever, without limitations. Additionally, you receive lifetime support for your purchased products, ensuring you're never left without help.

Free updates for 1 full year

With your initial purchase, you'll enjoy free product updates and new features released during the first year after your purchase date. Our built-in online update system makes it simple to keep your software up-to-date. Just click "Check for Updates," and the latest version will be installed automatically.

Renewing your license for continuous updates

After the first year, your product continues to function without any limitations, and support remains available. However, to access new versions released after your initial year, you will need to renew your license. Renewal ensures you keep benefiting from improvements, new features, and compatibility updates.

• If you renew before your current update period expires, the renewal extends your update eligibility by an additional year from the current expiration date.
• If you renew after your current update period has expired, the renewal adds one year of updates starting from the day you renew.

Why is this beneficial?

This approach guarantees ongoing improvement and timely feature enhancements while ensuring long-term affordability and flexibility. You can decide when and how often you renew based on your specific needs, always benefiting from the latest innovations at your convenience.

What about existing lifetime licenses?

If you already hold a Lifetime License purchased previously, all terms remain valid as originally promised. Your lifetime updates and benefits remain unchanged.

Where can I find the End User License Agreement (EULA)?

To review the full license terms, please click here.

Axialis IconWorkshop Changelog

Version 6.96

• Improved SVG Compatibility – The application now supports a wider range of SVG files, allowing you to generate raster icons from more types of vector images.

• SVG/Icons Search – You can now search and download icons directly from the SVG/Icons website (svgicons.com), which offers over 190,000 SVG and bitmap icons specifically designed for software user interfaces.

• Illustrator Plug-in Compatibility (up to 2026) – The transfer plug-in is now compatible with all 64-bit versions of Adobe Illustrator, including the 2026 release. Please reinstall the plug-in if you’ve upgraded to Illustrator 2026.

• General Enhancements and Bug Fixes – Includes various improvements for better stability and performance.

Version 6.95

• Dark Mode Interface (Windows 10+) - The entire interface now offers Dark Mode functionality, seamlessly transitioning when Windows is configured in Dark Mode. Additionally, users have the option to manually switch between Light and Dark Modes.

• 4 New Languages - The application has been expanded to include localization in four additional languages: Chinese, Greek, Japanese, and Korean. These languages are currently offered as beta options. We welcome translators to suggest improvements. Please reach out to us for further details.

• Various minor enhancements and bug fixes

Version 6.94

• 64-Bit Version - The application has now been released in a native 64-bit version, optimized for enhanced performance on 64-bit Windows systems.

• Various minor enhancements and bug fixes

Version 6.93

• Compatibility with Styled SVG - The application is now capable of loading SVG files with attributes coded as styles.

• 6 New Languages - The application is now localized in 6 languages in addition to English: Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

• Various minor enhancements and bug fixes

Version 6.92

• Compatibility with Windows 11 - The application is designed to work seamlessly with the most recent user interface features of Windows 11.

• Better Compatibility with SVG - The application is now capable of loading SVG icons, yielding improved rendering outcomes. It allows for the creation of icons at various resolutions without any compromise in quality.

• Photoshop plug-in compatible with all versions up to CC 2023 - The transfer plug-in is compatible with the latest version of Photoshop 64 bits. You must re-install the plug-in if you upgraded to Photoshop CC 2023.

• Illustrator plug-in compatible with all version up to CC 2023 - The transfer plug-in is compatible with the latest version of Illustrator 64 bits. You must re-install the plug-in if you upgraded to Illustrator CC 2023.

• New Sample Icons - A variety of sample and complimentary icons have been included, with the majority originating from professional icon sets marketed by Axialis. These icons are available in both PNG and SVG formats.

• Various minor enhancements and bug fixes

Version 6.91

• French & German Languages - The French & German languages have been implemented for menus and dialogs (help file is still English). Press F2 to open the preferences window and choose the appropriate language.

• Various minor enhancements and bug fixes

Version 6.90

• New User Interface - The new interface supports hi-dpi displays up to 250%. UI icons have been redesigned to colored flat ones.

• SVG images - You can import SVG images to create ICO and ICNS icons.

• Support for Windows 10 icons - Create icons for Windows 10. Two new formats added: 768x768 and 512x512.

• New Photoshop Templates - 5 new Photoshop templates are added. Now create icons for Windows 8 and Windows 10.

• Photoshop plug-in compatible with CC, CC 2014, CC 2015 - The transfer plug-in is compatible with the latest version of Photoshop CC 32 and 64 bits. You must re-install the plug-in if you upgraded to Photoshop CC, CC 2014 or CC 2015.

• Illustrator plug-in compatible with CC, CC 2015 - The transfer plug-in is compatible with the latest version of Illustrator CC 32 and 64 bits. You must re-install the plug-in if you upgraded to Illustrator CC or CC 2015.

• New Free Sample Icons - Several new Free Icons have been added to the Librarian.

• Home & Professional Editions Merged - Starting from version 6.90, only the Professional Edition of IconWorkshop is available. Owners of the Home Edition are upgraded to the Professional edition.

• Windows Customization - The Windows Customization feature is no more available due to compatibility issues with latest versions of Windows.

• Various minor enhancements and bug fixes

Version 6.80

• New User Interface - The usability remain the same but icons, colors and illustrations are in the style of Visual Studio 2012, Windows 8 Metro.

• Photoshop plug-in compatible with CS6 - The transfer plug-in is compatible with the latest version of Photoshop CS6 32 and 64 bits. You must re-install the plug-in if you upgraded to Photoshop CS6.

• Illustrator plug-in compatible with CS6 - The transfer plug-in is compatible with the latest version of Illustrator CS6 32 and 64 bits. You must re-install the plug-in if you upgraded to Illustrator CS6.

• Export to images formats 512x512 and 1024x104 - Now you can batch export the Mac icon images to 512x512 and 1024x1024..

• Various enhancements and bug fixes

Version 6.70

• Support for 1024x1024 Macintosh icons for OSX 10.7 Lion - Create extra large 512x512 icons for OSX 10.7 Lion. Axialis IconWorkshop now fully supports this size in all features (manual, multi-format, batch creation....

• Enhanced Adobe Illustrator plug-in - Now you can choose to export the whole artboard, including inner margins.

• Various enhancements and bug fixes

Version 6.62

• New Object Pack "Professional Toolbars" - Professional Toolbars Object Pack is composed of 1296 objects which permit creating to create icons for toolbars in 48x48, 32x32, 24x24 and 16x16 formats. The style is smooth which make them suitable for commercial applications. The full set of objects is available for download on our web site.

• New Batch Feature - Create Hot and Disabled versions of icons and images in batch mode.

• Various enhancements and bug fixes

Version 6.61

• Windows 2000 compatibility - Compatibility with Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 has been restored

• Various enhancements and bug fixes

Version 6.60

• Loads New Image File Formats - Now loads several new image formats. Permits edition of image files and creation of icons from the following new formats:

• Camera RAW Images (*.CRW;*.NEF;*.RAF;*.ORF;*.MRW;*.DCR;*.MOS;*.RAW;*.PEF;*.DNG...)

• Dr. Halo CUT Images (*.CUT)

• DirectDraw Surface Bitmaps (*.DDS)

• Raw Fax G3 Images (*.G3)

• Radiance HDR Images (*.HDR)

• Koala Images (*.KOA)

• MNG Animated Images (*.MNG)

• Portable Float Map Images (*.PFM)

• Portable Bitmaps (*.PNM;*.PBM;*.PPM;*.PGM)

• Silicon Graphics Images (*.SGI)

• Sun RAS Images (*.RAS)

• Wireless Bitmaps (*.WBMP;*.WAP;*.WBM)

• X-Bitmap Images (*.XBM)

• XPixMap Images (*.XPM)

• Saves/Exports to New Image File Formats - Now exports/saves images to the following additional file formats:

• Radiance HDR Images (*.HDR)

• Portable Float Map Images (*.PFM)

• Portable Bitmaps (*.PNM;*.PBM;*.PPM;*.PGM)

• Targa Images (*.TGA)

• Wireless Bitmaps (*.WBMP;*.WAP;*.WBM)

• XPixMap Images (*.XPM).

• Exports all the formats of an Icon - Now export all the image formats included in an icon in several separate files (13 formats supported).

• Various enhancements and bug fixes