How to: extract icons from EXE and DLL files

Here at Softonic we use logos a lot, for many different purposes: program listings, images for blog posts, or even the central image in our homepage. The logo is usually the best way to represent a program in all those cases – which means I get to work with them almost on a daily basis.

Obtaining a program logo can be quite easy. Sometimes the developers offer high-resolution PNG versions on their website, which work great everywhere. For popular programs, it’s easy to find logos in Google Images. But most of the time you have to use the program’s icon, and this is where an icon extractor comes in handy.

The app I use to extract icons from programs is Icon Explorer. It’s quick, easy to use and doesn’t require installation. All you need is browse the built-in file manager to find the executable file or system library you want to extract the icon from, and click on the icon displayed on the interface’s central area. Icon Explorer will show all the available sizes and resolutions on the panel to the right.

To download any of those icons, simply right click on the appropriate size and select the target format: ICO or BMP. In the case of BMP you can also select the background color. Of course, saving a program’s icon in BMP means you can work on it later on using any other graphic editor.

Icon Explorer is simple, easy to use and does what it says on the tin. If you ever need to extract icons from executable files or DLL libraries, this is the tool you need.