What happens when you convert EMF to BMP
- The EMF is opened by Inkscape, the open-source vector editor, on our conversion server and saved as a PDF, and MuPDF draws it at 300 dpi, so a drawing 10 cm wide becomes about 1,180 pixels wide. The longest side is capped at 6,000 pixels.
- The drawing is placed on a white background, so the BMP has no transparency.
- The BMP is a 24-bit bitmap with no compression.
- 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 EMF to BMP online
- Press "Choose EMF 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 BMP". 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 BMP with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your EMF and the BMP by then.
Why convert EMF to BMP?
EMF files usually come from charts and clip art copied between Windows programs, and vector pictures in Office documents. People convert them to BMP to share, print or place the picture anywhere: BMP opens on every phone and computer, with no special program needed.
How to convert EMF to BMP on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your EMF files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each BMP is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the EMF files from Finder onto the drop zone and the BMP files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose EMF files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted BMP 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 EMF files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The BMP is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for EMF to BMP
There are no settings: the drawing is rendered at 300 dpi on white, with the longest side capped at 6,000 pixels.
Keep the EMF as the master copy, and convert from it again whenever you need another format.
EMF vs BMP: the differences
| EMF | BMP | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Enhanced Metafile | Bitmap image |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | Microsoft | Microsoft |
| First released | 1993 | 1990 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | No | Yes |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Vector | Raster |
| Colour | Windows drawing commands, which can also hold bitmaps | up to 32-bit colour |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; Windows shows it, and Word, PowerPoint, LibreOffice and Inkscape open it | opens in browsers and every Windows image tool |
| Common uses | charts and clip art copied between Windows programs, and vector pictures in Office documents | Windows software, embedded displays and legacy tools |
| MIME type | image/emf | image/bmp |
About EMF and BMP files
What is an EMF file?
An EMF is a recording of the drawing commands a Windows program sends to the screen, played back to redraw the picture at any size. It replaced WMF with 32-bit Windows, and Office still uses it when charts and diagrams are copied between programs.
What is a BMP file?
BMP usually stores pixels with no compression at all, so a 12 megapixel photo is about 36 MB. That size is the price of being readable by almost any program ever written for Windows.
EMF to BMP not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Compress the images inside the file, or split it, and try again.
- "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 EMF format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .emf is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert EMF to BMP from the command line
Inkscape does the same on your own computer:
inkscape input.emf --export-type=png --export-dpi=300 --export-background=white --export-filename=output.png
magick output.png output.bmpConverting 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.
EMF to BMP converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting EMF to BMP?
The drawing is rendered to pixels at 300 dpi, sharp for print at its own size. The pixels are stored losslessly.
Why is the BMP a different size from the EMF?
The BMP stores every pixel, so it is usually larger than the EMF, which stores drawing commands.
Are my EMF files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful EMF to BMP conversion needs Inkscape and MuPDF, two open-source tools, 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 BMP as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several EMF files to BMP 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 BMP file?
BMP opens in browsers and every Windows image tool. BMP is common for Windows software, embedded displays and legacy tools.
Is this EMF to BMP 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 EMF to BMP 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 BMP is saved to your Downloads folder.