Complete Windows App Icon Set

Shipping a Windows app means feeding the same icon to a dozen surfaces - taskbar, All apps list, Start pins, context menus, the EXE itself - each wanting a different size and, for WinUI/UWP, a different scale-qualified PNG. This guide exports a complete set from one SVG in Axialis IconVectors: a desktop ICO covering 16 to 256 px, plus Visual Assets PNGs with the scale qualifiers Windows expects, then wires both into Package.appxmanifest.

Microsoft's icon guidance sets a baseline of 16, 24, 32, 48, and 256 px so the shell only ever scales down, and documents where the larger sizes surface in Windows 11 (24/32 for All apps and the taskbar, up to 256 for Start pins). The sizes below follow that baseline and add the in-between sizes the classic shell still requests.

Which sizes matter today (and how to avoid upscaling)

• Desktop ICO (classic shell surfaces) — include 16, 20, 24, 32, 40, 48, 64, and 256 (PNG-compressed inside the ICO). This covers the title bar, taskbar, context menus, and high-DPI displays. Keeping the 16/24/32/48/256 baseline lets Windows scale only down.
• WinUI/UWP Visual Assets (PNG with scale qualifiers) — Windows picks the best file by display scale (100-400%). Provide the App Icon ("App list") as Square44x44Logo with .scale-100/125/150/200/400 variants, which means 44/55/66/88/176 px files from a 44 px base.
• Optional classic tiles — if you still target Windows 10 tile surfaces, also include Square150x150Logo (the medium tile) at the scales you support.

Export everything from one SVG in IconVectors

1. Open or create your icon in IconVectors:
   • File → Open… (Ctrl+O) or New Icon (Ctrl+N).
   • Use currentColor fills/strokes and a tidy viewBox for easy theming and scaling.

   

2. Export the desktop ICO pack
   • In the dialog, choose Windows Icon (ICO) as format.
   • Select sizes: 16, 20, 24, 32, 40, 48, 64, 256.
   • Pick a destination folder (left pane) and set the root name (e.g., AppIcon).
   • Click OK to generate a single ICO containing all sizes.
3. Export WinUI/UWP Visual Assets PNGs
   • Still in the dialog, select PNG and add these groups:
     • Square44x44Logo at scale-100/125/150/200/400 (export 44/55/66/88/176 px files).
     • Optional (Windows 10 tiles): Square150x150Logo at the scales you support.
   • Name files clearly (you can add the scale in the filename now, or let Visual Studio rename/qualify on import).

   Windows selects assets by scale qualifiers such as .scale-200. Visual Studio's Manifest Designer (the "Visual Assets" tab) can also Generate the whole set from a base image; that is fine for a first pass, but handcrafted exports at each size stay crisper.

Wire the assets into Package.appxmanifest

1. Visual Studio (recommended)
   • Double-click Package.appxmanifest → Visual Assets.
   • Under App Icon (App list), browse to your Square44x44Logo images; Visual Studio manages the scale qualifiers (scale-100/125/150/200/400) for you.
   • Optionally add Square150x150Logo (the medium tile) for Windows 10 tile surfaces.
   • Point desktop surfaces (EXE icon) to your ICO if your project type exposes an application icon setting.
2. Manual XML (advanced)

   <uap:VisualElements
       DisplayName="My App"
       Square44x44Logo="Assets\Square44x44Logo.png"
       Square150x150Logo="Assets\Square150x150Logo.png"
       BackgroundColor="transparent"
       Description="My app">
     <!-- Windows uses scale-qualified variants like:
          Assets\Square44x44Logo.scale-100.png, .scale-125.png, .scale-150.png, .scale-200.png, .scale-400.png -->
   </uap:VisualElements>

   The uap:VisualElements element owns Square44x44Logo and Square150x150Logo properties; provide the base logical name and place the scale-qualified PNGs alongside it.

Quality tips (keep it crisp)

• Design at grid sizes (for example 24×24 or 48×48), use whole-pixel coordinates, and snap strokes; always include a 256×256 source so Windows never upscales.
• Alpha and background — export transparent PNGs with no baked-in background. The manifest's BackgroundColor can stay transparent for modern icons.
• Test at scale — on HiDPI displays Windows picks .scale-200 or higher, so check how the icon reads at 24 and 32 px in the actual shell.

Troubleshooting

• Compile errors about logo sizes — the build checks exact pixel dimensions per asset, so confirm each PNG is the size its qualifier claims (no off-by-one).
• Mixed qualifiers — don't mix qualified and unqualified names for the same logical asset (for example StoreLogo.png next to StoreLogo.scale-125.png).
• Plated vs unplated — Windows plates some logos depending on the surface. Use the App Icon flow in WinUI/Visual Studio and supply transparent PNGs so plating stays under your control.