What is a DDS file?
DDS stands for DirectDraw Surface. It was created by Microsoft and first released in 1999. DDS stores a texture the way a graphics card uses it: compressed in blocks of 4 by 4 pixels that the GPU decodes on the fly, often with mipmaps, smaller copies for distant surfaces. That is why game mods are full of DDS files, and why ordinary image viewers cannot open them.
| Type | image |
|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy or lossless |
| Colour | block-compressed colour (DXT1 to DXT5, BC7) or uncompressed 32-bit colour with alpha |
| Transparency | Yes |
| Animation | No |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; Paint.NET, GIMP and game modding tools open it, and Photoshop with NVIDIA's plug-in |
| Common uses | textures in games and 3D engines, and game mods |
| MIME type | image/vnd-ms.dds |
Which format should you convert DDS to?
- DDS to JPG for photos that must open everywhere and stay small.
- DDS to PNG for screenshots, logos and anything with transparency.
- DDS to PDF to print, or to attach as a document.
DDS is lossy or lossless depending on how it was saved, so check what a program needs before converting.
How to open a DDS file
A DDS file does not open in a web browser, and only some devices have a program for it. Here is what works on each. If none of these is to hand, converting the file to PNG here is the quickest way to see what is inside it.
| Windows | Paint.NET and GIMP (both free) open it; Photoshop needs NVIDIA's Texture Tools plug-in. |
|---|---|
| Mac | GIMP (free) opens it. |
| iPhone and iPad | iPhone and iPad cannot show DDS. Convert it to PNG here to view it. |
| Android | Android cannot show DDS. Convert it to PNG here to view it. |
Want the technical details? See what a .dds file is, with its MIME type, file signature and a viewer.
DDS compared with other image formats
How DDS stacks up against the formats people most often convert it to or from:
| Format | Compression | Transparency | Released | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DDS | Either | Yes | 1999 | textures in games and 3D engines, and game mods |
| JPG | Lossy | No | 1992 | camera photos, web images and email attachments |
| PNG | Lossless | Yes | 1996 | screenshots, logos, diagrams and anything with transparency |
| WebP | Either | Yes | 2010 | images served by websites to save bandwidth |
| HEIC | Lossy | Yes | 2017 | photos taken on iPhones and iPads since iOS 11 |
How to use the DDS converter
- Choose the format you want in the Convert to menu.
- Drop your DDS files on the box, or press Choose DDS files. Several files can go in at once.
- Adjust the settings if you need to; the defaults suit most people.
- Press Convert and save each file with its Download button. The file is converted on our server and deleted as soon as the result is sent back.
Tips for converting DDS files without losing quality
DDS can be lossy or lossless depending on how the file was saved. Either way, converting to a lossless format keeps exactly what is there, and converting to a lossy one trades a little detail for a much smaller file.
- Keep the original file. It holds the layers, masks or raw data that a converted image does not, and you can always convert from it again.
- Choose PNG for artwork, screenshots and anything with sharp edges, and JPG for photos that must be small.
- Converted images are flattened: layers, adjustments and editable text become pixels, so make changes in the original and convert again.
- The server accepts files up to 25 MB; save very large files at a smaller size first.
Convert DDS files from the command line
ImageMagick does the same on your own computer:
magick input.dds[0] -background white -flatten -quality 92 output.jpgConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
DDS converter FAQ
What is a DDS file?
DDS stands for DirectDraw Surface, an image format created by Microsoft in 1999. DDS stores a texture the way a graphics card uses it: compressed in blocks of 4 by 4 pixels that the GPU decodes on the fly, often with mipmaps, smaller copies for distant surfaces. That is why game mods are full of DDS files, and why ordinary image viewers cannot open them.
How do I open a DDS file?
DDS does not open in browsers; Paint.NET, GIMP and game modding tools open it, and Photoshop with NVIDIA's plug-in. If the program you need will not open it, convert it to a more widely supported format above.
What is the most common DDS conversion?
DDS to JPG is the conversion people search for most. ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, decodes the DDS texture on our conversion server, taking its full-size image rather than the smaller mipmaps, and saves it as a JPG at 92 percent quality.
Does converting DDS files here upload them?
Yes. DDS conversions need ImageMagick, an open-source program that cannot run in a browser, so they run on our conversion server. The file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept.
Is the DDS converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Conversions that use our server accept files up to 25 MB, with a fair-use limit per hour. The site is supported by advertising.
Can I convert DDS files on iPhone or Android?
Yes. Open this page in Safari on iPhone and iPad, or in Chrome on Android, choose your DDS files and download the results to your Downloads folder.
Can I convert several DDS files at once?
Yes. Drop as many as you like; they are converted one after another, each with its own download button.