How this works in your browser
The icon is drawn onto a canvas as text, using the Font Awesome font at the pixel size and colour you specify, then exported as a PNG with the background left transparent. Rendering from the font rather than scaling a stored bitmap is what keeps the result crisp at any size: the glyph is vector outline data, so the renderer computes the shape fresh at whatever dimensions you ask for. The transparency matters practically, since an icon exported onto a white background is unusable over a coloured header or a dark theme. Everything runs locally with no request to any server.
Who uses Font Awesome to PNG
Design tool assets
Get icons into software that will not load an icon font.
Presentations and documents
Place clean icons into slides and reports as ordinary images.
Print and physical materials
Export at high resolution for flyers, signage or packaging.
Email and templates
Use image icons where icon fonts do not render reliably.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the icon colour?
Yes, pick any colour before exporting.
What sizes are available?
Choose any pixel size; the icon renders sharply since it is drawn from a vector glyph rather than scaled from a bitmap.
Does the exported PNG have a transparent background?
Yes, the background is transparent so the icon can be placed over any colour.
Can I use these icons commercially?
Font Awesome’s free icons are released under a Creative Commons licence that permits commercial use with attribution, but licence terms are the icon set’s to set rather than ours, and they do change between versions. Check the current Font Awesome licence for your intended use rather than relying on a summary.
What size should I export at?
Larger than you think you need, since the glyph is drawn from vector data and costs nothing extra to render big. Exporting at twice the display size covers high-density screens, and scaling a PNG down later looks fine while scaling one up does not.
Why not just use the icon font?
On a web page you generally should, since a font stays sharp at every size. This exists for the places a font cannot go: design tools that will not accept icon fonts, presentation software, printed material, and anywhere an asset has to be a flat image file.
Is anything uploaded?
No. The glyph is rendered and exported inside your browser tab.