WMF to PICON Converter

WMF to PICON — personal icon images, free online

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

Unix Icon Format

Convert WMF graphics to PICON — small personal icons for Unix/Linux user profiles and system displays.

No Account Needed

Convert WMF to PICON without any registration or login. Just open the page and start converting.

Instant Output

PICON files are very small, so conversion from WMF is virtually instantaneous on cloud servers.

How to convert WMF to PICON

1

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

2

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

3

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

About formats

WMF (Windows Metafile) is a vector graphics format created by Microsoft, introduced with Windows 3.0 in May 1990 as the platform's native format for recording and replaying graphical operations. A WMF file captures a sequence of GDI (Graphics Device Interface) drawing commands — lines, rectangles, ellipses, polygons, text, and bitmap blits — in the order they were issued, serializing screen or printer output into a replayable file. The format uses a 16-bit coordinate space and organizes records as a linear stream of function calls with their parameters, preceded by a header specifying the bounding rectangle and resolution. WMF became deeply integrated into the Windows ecosystem as the default format for clip art collections, Office document graphics, and clipboard vector interchange during the 1990s — Microsoft Office shipped with thousands of WMF clip art images that defined a visual era of desktop publishing. One advantage is pervasive compatibility: virtually every Windows application from the past three decades can render WMF content, making it one of the most widely supported vector formats in existence. The lightweight recording model is another strength — WMF files are compact and render quickly because they replay native system drawing calls rather than interpreting a complex graphics language. While 16-bit limitations and lack of transparency and Bezier curves led Microsoft to develop EMF as a 32-bit replacement, WMF files remain ubiquitous in legacy documents and across current Windows software.
Developer: Microsoft
Initial release: May 22, 1990
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

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert WMF to PICON?

PICON (Personal Icon) is a small XPM-based image used for user icons on Unix systems. Converting WMF to PICON produces tiny icon graphics.

What opens PICON files?

Unix/Linux desktop environments, XPM viewers, GIMP, and ImageMagick can display PICON images.

Are PICON images very small?

Yes — PICON is designed for small icon dimensions. The conversion resizes WMF content appropriately.

Is WMF to PICON conversion free?

Yes — free for standard use. Premium plans add extended capacity and priority processing.

How fast is it?

Near-instant. PICON files are tiny and cloud servers produce them in moments.

Can I convert from any device?

Convertio works on all devices with a modern browser — desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones.

WMF to PICON Quality Rating

5.0 (1 votes)
You need to convert and download at least 1 file to provide feedback!