I recommend using png becauese of the alpha channel support. Thankfully, you can always create the image in any image editor such as Photoshop or Fireworks and then import the image into an icon editor that converts them into ico file. However, the lack of Internet Explorer support make these formats less appealing. Just make sure the format conforms to the supported specs. With gif and png icons, you can use your favorite image editor to create the icons. (How did the shortcut get into the desktop? By dragging the link from their Bookmark folder onto the desktop). Without transparency, there would have been a white square enclosing the icon. Here's an example of icon with transparency on the desktop. Here's an example of what happens when icons get scaled because a larger resolution isn't present (actual screenshot of Thumbnails view and Icons view in Windows Explorer).ģ2-bit ico file also supports alpha channel transparency which allows for smooth edges. For example, a large icon will usually be used if the user place a shortcut on the Desktop. In XP, the behavior seems to be that when a particular size is not available, it fallsback to the default Favorite icon. Having multiple versions of the images makes them look better. The operating system will scale the icon if the desired dimensions is not present in the ico file. (Note: once you add a website shortcut, the OS takes over the icon display). This brings another another benefit of using ico file: An ico file can contain multiple images with different settings ( multiple dimensions and multiple color-resulutions), which enable the operating system to pick the one that fits the user system best.
![bookmark folder icon color microsoft edge bookmark folder icon color microsoft edge](https://www.technipages.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Chrome-Bookmark-Manager.png)
![bookmark folder icon color microsoft edge bookmark folder icon color microsoft edge](https://cdn1.iconfinder.com/data/icons/folder-29/100/85-1024.png)
If you must have only one variety, use that settings. The most common format is 16x16 pixels dimensions with 256 colors. These varieties can be daunting and some browsers support even more formats and more colors. Color-depth, recommended are: 8 bit (256 colors), or 24 bit (thousands od colors).
![bookmark folder icon color microsoft edge bookmark folder icon color microsoft edge](https://149584678.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/FolderIco.png)
There are varities in dimensions and number of colors in icons, such as: