What is a BMP file?
BMP stores a picture as plain rows of pixels with nothing squeezed out, which makes it easy for old Windows software and simple devices to read. The cost is size: a BMP is routinely many times larger than the same picture as a PNG. You can convert BMP files here, both into the format and out of it.
Specification
| Full name | Bitmap Image File |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .bmp, .dib |
| Media type | image/bmp |
| Compression | Uncompressed |
| Transparency | Supported |
| Animation | Not supported |
| Multiple pages | — |
| Colour depth | 1, 4, 8, 16, 24 or 32 bits per pixel |
| Size limits | — |
| Introduced | 1986 |
| Developed by | Microsoft |
| Standard | Proprietary |
| Browser support | All current browsers |
What BMP is used for
- Windows application resources and legacy tooling
- Embedded devices and firmware that cannot afford a decoder
- Intermediate files in scientific or industrial pipelines
- Testing and debugging, where getting straight at the picture is convenient
Strengths and limitations
What BMP does well
- Nothing is squeezed, so there is nothing to go wrong and nothing to unpack
- Simple enough that almost any program can read it
- Reliably supported across the Windows ecosystem
Where BMP falls short
- Files are enormous, often ten to fifty times a comparable PNG
- Essentially unusable on the web because of that size
- Barely any support for colour management or file details
Convert BMP to
Every target this format can be written out as, each on its own page.
Convert to BMP
Everything that can be turned into a BMP file.
Tools that accept BMP
Questions about BMP
What is a .bmp file?
BMP stores a picture as plain rows of pixels with nothing squeezed out, which makes it easy for old Windows software and simple devices to read. The extension .bmp or .dib identifies it, and its media type is image/bmp.
How do I open a BMP file?
Any current browser will open it directly, so dragging the file into a tab is usually enough. Most operating systems also preview it without extra software.
Is BMP lossy or lossless?
Uncompressed. Nothing is discarded, so repeated saves never degrade the contents.
What is BMP good for?
Nothing is squeezed, so there is nothing to go wrong and nothing to unpack. Simple enough that almost any program can read it. Reliably supported across the Windows ecosystem. In practice that makes it a good fit for windows application resources and legacy tooling, and Embedded devices and firmware that cannot afford a decoder.
What are the drawbacks of BMP?
Files are enormous, often ten to fifty times a comparable PNG. Essentially unusable on the web because of that size. Barely any support for colour management or file details.