BMP Converter
BMP stores pixels with no compression at all, so a page-sized image runs to tens of megabytes with no quality advantage over PNG. It persists because some older Windows software, imaging SDKs and embedded systems accept it and nothing else.
BMP at a glance
| Full name | Bitmap Image File |
|---|---|
| Extension | .bmp |
| MIME type | image/bmp |
| Compression | Lossless |
| Transparency | No |
| Animation | No |
| Colours | 16.7M (24-bit) |
| Browser support | Most browsers (legacy format) |
| Typical use | Windows legacy, uncompressed images |
| Introduced | 1986 |
Convert BMP to another format
Create BMP from another format
More about BMP
Still stuck? Try the help centre or the FAQ.
Already have BMP files that are too large? Compress BMP instead of converting.
BMP questions
Why is my BMP file so enormous?
BMP normally stores every pixel uncompressed, so the size is simply width times height times bytes per pixel. A 4000 by 3000 photograph is about 36 MB whatever it contains, where the same image as PNG is lossless and a fraction of that.
Is there any reason to use BMP today?
Only compatibility. Some older Windows software, imaging SDKs and embedded systems read BMP and little else, and its complete lack of compression makes it trivial to parse. For anything with a choice, PNG is lossless too and far smaller.
Does BMP support transparency?
The 32-bit variant has an alpha channel, but support for it is so inconsistent that transparent BMP files often render with a black or white background. PNG is the dependable choice when transparency matters.
Does converting BMP to PNG lose anything?
Nothing. Both are lossless, so the PNG holds exactly the same pixels in far less space. It is one of the few conversions with no trade-off to weigh at all.