What happens when you convert DDS to TGA
- 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 an uncompressed TGA.
- Transparent areas stay transparent.
- DDS textures in the newer DX10 layout, such as BC7, may not open.
- This conversion runs on our 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. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert DDS to TGA online
- Press "Choose DDS files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to TGA". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each TGA with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your DDS and the TGA by then.
Why convert DDS to TGA?
DDS files usually come from textures in games and 3D engines, and game mods. People convert them to TGA because TGA is the texture format game engines, 3D tools and video effects software have read for decades, alpha channel included.
In short, DDS is good at what it was made for, and TGA is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. DDS does not open in browsers; Paint.NET, GIMP and game modding tools open it, and Photoshop with NVIDIA's plug-in, while TGA does not open in browsers; Photoshop, GIMP and game engines read it.
How to convert DDS to TGA on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your DDS files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each TGA is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the DDS files from Finder onto the drop zone and the TGA files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose DDS files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted TGA appears in Files, in the Downloads folder; to put it in your photo library, open it there, tap Share and choose Save Image.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose DDS files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The TGA is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for DDS to TGA
There are no settings: the image keeps its full size.
Keep the DDS as your original, and convert from it again if you need another format.
DDS vs TGA: the differences
| DDS | TGA | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | DirectDraw Surface | Truevision TGA image |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | Microsoft | Truevision |
| First released | 1999 | 1984 |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | block-compressed colour (DXT1 to DXT5, BC7) or uncompressed 32-bit colour with alpha | up to 32-bit colour with an 8-bit alpha channel |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; Paint.NET, GIMP and game modding tools open it, and Photoshop with NVIDIA's plug-in | does not open in browsers; Photoshop, GIMP and game engines read it |
| Common uses | textures in games and 3D engines, and game mods | game textures, 3D rendering and video effects work |
| MIME type | image/vnd-ms.dds | image/x-tga |
About DDS and TGA files
What is a DDS file?
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.
What is a TGA file?
TGA, also called Targa, stores pixels uncompressed or with simple run-length compression, plus an alpha channel. Its simplicity is why game engines and 3D tools still use it for textures decades after it was created.
DDS to TGA not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Save the image at a smaller size first.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex files can pass the 90 second limit. Split the file and convert the parts.
- "This file is not really in DDS format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .dds is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert DDS to TGA from the command line
ImageMagick does the same on your own computer:
magick input.dds[0] output.tgaConverting 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 to TGA converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting DDS to TGA?
No. TGA is stored losslessly, so every pixel of the DDS is kept.
Why is the TGA a different size from the DDS?
It depends on the image: TGA and DDS compress differently.
Are my DDS files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful DDS to TGA conversion needs ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the TGA as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several DDS files to TGA at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a TGA file?
TGA does not open in browsers; Photoshop, GIMP and game engines read it. TGA is common for game textures, 3D rendering and video effects work.
Is this DDS to TGA converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert DDS to TGA on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the TGA is saved to your Downloads folder.