Windows Application Icon Files

Question

when creating an .exe on Windows (XP - 7, assuming it's the same process), what is the format for the application icon? what is the file extension? what size is the maximum?

with applications on Mac OS X, it is possible to right-click on the application and select "Show Package Contents". from here, an .icns file can be found in a folder called "resources" along with other assets pertaining to the application. .icns files contain 5 sizes of the same icon file (16x16, 32x32, 128x128, 256x256 and 512x512). an application from XCode developer tools called "Icon Composer" is used to produce .icns files

i have zero experience with Windows software development but would like to know best practices for preparing icon files for Windows applications.

Answer 1

visual Studio has tools for editing and embedding an icon on an executable file, at compile time.

Answer 2

You can use Resource Tuner to display the resources in any .exe file

Resource Tuner lets anyone view, edit, extract, and replace strings, bitmaps, logos and icons... All that make up the visual part of your Windows program.

Answer 3

You need an .ico file; more info Creating Windows XP Icons