PCX to BMP Converter
Convert PCX to BMP in your browser. PCX files usually come from DOS paint programs (PC Paintbrush, Deluxe Paint), old games, and fax and scanner software; BMP is the better fit for legacy software and embedded systems that require it. You get an uncompressed 24-bit BMP, or 32-bit with alpha when the image has transparency. Nothing is uploaded.
- Processed locally
- No upload, no wait
- No sign-up
- No watermark
Drop images here
or choose files · paste with Ctrl/⌘ V
PCX expected · other image formats also work
How to use PCX to BMP
- 1
Add your PCX files: drop them here, choose them, or paste from the clipboard.
- 2
There is nothing to tune: the BMP is written uncompressed. Resizing and rotating are under More options if you need them.
- 3
Click Convert. Each file is decoded and encoded in a background thread on this device.
- 4
Download the .bmp files one at a time or together as a ZIP.
Why use Aback Images for pcx to bmp
Where the BMP goes next
BMP opens in every operating system and browser.
BMP next to PCX
The BMP is written uncompressed, so expect it to be several times larger than the PCX, which stores byte-wise run-length encoding.
Written without a lossy pass
The BMP is written uncompressed, so the pixels decoded from the PCX arrive unchanged.
Processed on your device
Your images are decoded, edited and encoded inside this browser tab by Web Workers. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
PCX vs BMP
What changes from PCX to BMP
Encoding: the PCX uses byte-wise run-length encoding; BMP uses usually none; RLE for some 4 and 8-bit files, and the download is an uncompressed 24-bit BMP, or 32-bit with alpha when the image has transparency.
Bit depth: 1, 2, 4 or 8 bits per pixel with a palette, or 24-bit as three 8-bit planes in the PCX; BMP allows 1, 4, 8, 16, 24 or 32 bits per pixel, and the BMP written here has 24 or 32 bits per pixel.
Colour: a 16 or 256-colour palette, or 24-bit RGB in the PCX; BMP supports RGB or an indexed palette, written here as 8-bit sRGB.
Metadata: the PCX can carry only a 128-byte header with the resolution; BMP can carry nothing beyond the header's resolution fields (and a colour profile in rare V5 headers), but nothing is copied across.
About PCX
PCX is the image format of ZSoft's PC Paintbrush, the standard for DOS paint programs, scanners and games before GIF and BMP took over. It compresses with a simple run-length scheme.
A PCX file has a 128-byte header (the byte 0x0A, version, encoding, bits per pixel, image window, DPI, a 16-colour palette and the number of colour planes), then RLE-compressed scanlines; 256-colour files end with the byte 0x0C and a 768-byte palette.
PCX files usually come from DOS paint programs (PC Paintbrush, Deluxe Paint), old games, and fax and scanner software.
About BMP
BMP stores raw, uncompressed pixels. Files are huge but trivially simple, which is why some legacy Windows software, embedded displays and printers still ask for it.
A BMP is a 14-byte file header ('BM' and the offset to the pixels), a DIB header (40 bytes, or 108 and 124 bytes in the V4 and V5 versions that add colour masks and alpha), an optional palette, then pixel rows padded to 4 bytes and normally stored bottom-up.
When converting PCX to BMP makes sense
BMP is the better choice for legacy software and embedded systems that require it, while PCX suits DOS-era software, retro games and old fax or scanner tools.
BMP strengths: No compression artifacts; Read by very old and very simple software. Drawbacks to weigh: Enormous files; Poor support for transparency; No metadata.
Limitations
- DOS art was often drawn for 320×200 screens shown at 4:3, where pixels were slightly taller than wide, so it can look a little squashed on a modern display.
- A palette PCX holds at most 256 colours, so a full-colour target keeps them exactly but adds nothing.
- A BMP is uncompressed, about 3 bytes per pixel, or 4 with transparency, so expect a large file.
- Some older programs ignore the alpha channel of a 32-bit BMP and show transparent areas as black or white.
More conversions
Related tools
Convert BMP to PCX in your browser, with transparency filled in a colour you pick. Batch, private, no uploads.
Shrink JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF and GIF files with MozJPEG, OxiPNG and modern codecs, with a live before/after preview.
Resize to exact pixels, a percentage or a longest side, with Lanczos3 and Magic Kernel resampling. Batch ready.
Strip EXIF, GPS, XMP, IPTC and comments losslessly. Pixels are never re-encoded for JPG, PNG and WebP.
Convert between 34 image formats in bulk: HEIC, WebP, AVIF, JPEG XL, PNG, JPG, GIF, TIFF, SVG, ICO, PSD, RAW and more.
Frequently asked questions
Does converting PCX to BMP lose quality?
BMP is written uncompressed, so the pixels are stored exactly as decoded.
Which apps open BMP files?
Every operating system and browser.
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. Processing happens inside your browser with WebAssembly and Web Workers. The site only downloads the app code and codecs; your files never leave your device. You can confirm this with the live upload counter on the tool, or in your browser's network panel.
Can I process many files at once?
Yes. Drop a whole selection or folder. Files are processed in parallel on several worker threads, each result can be downloaded on its own, and everything can be saved as one ZIP.
Is it free? Is there a file limit or watermark?
It is free with no account, no watermark and no daily limit. The only limit is your device's memory: very large images (over roughly 100 megapixels) may be refused to keep the tab from crashing.