Images · .bmp
What Is a BMP File?
A .bmp file is an uncompressed Windows image format that makes very large files.
- Extension
- .bmp
- Full name
- Bitmap image
- Type
- Image
- MIME type
- image/bmp
- Developed by
- Microsoft
Free BMP Tools
These run in your browser. Your BMP files are never uploaded.
About BMP Files
BMP is the native image format of Windows and dates back to its earliest versions. It usually stores every pixel without compression, so the image is perfect but the file is huge: a single phone photo saved as BMP can be 30 MB or more. BMP is still used by some older programs, scanners, industrial machines and embedded systems because it is so simple to read and write. For sharing or the web, converting a BMP to PNG keeps it lossless and much smaller, and converting to JPG makes it smaller still.
How to Open a BMP File
- Windows
- Double-click to open it in Photos or Paint.
- Mac
- Preview opens BMP files.
- iPhone & Android
- Most gallery and file apps can display BMP images.
- Any device
- Drag the file into any web browser.
BMP File Questions
Why are BMP files so large?
Most BMP files store every pixel uncompressed. A 12-megapixel photo takes about 36 MB as BMP but only a few MB as JPG.
Should I convert BMP to PNG or JPG?
Choose PNG for screenshots, diagrams and anything with text; it keeps every pixel. Choose JPG for photos, where it gives much smaller files.