What happens when you convert JPG to PCX
- ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, reads the JPG on our conversion server and saves it as a 24-bit PCX with run-length compression.
- PCX only compresses runs of identical pixels, so flat graphics stay small while a photo makes a very large file.
- Photos are turned upright using the rotation stored in them, so the result is always the right way up.
- 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 JPG to PCX online
- Press "Choose JPG 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 PCX". 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 PCX with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your JPG and the PCX by then.
Why convert JPG to PCX?
JPG files usually come from camera photos, web images and email attachments. People convert them to PCX because PCX is what some DOS programs, old games, label printers and legacy tools still read.
In short, JPG is good at what it was made for, and PCX is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. JPG opens in every browser and image viewer, while PCX does not open in browsers; IrfanView, GIMP, Paint.NET and Photoshop open it.
How to convert JPG to PCX on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your JPG files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each PCX is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the JPG files from Finder onto the drop zone and the PCX files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose JPG files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted PCX appears in Files, in the Downloads folder.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose JPG files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The PCX is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for JPG to PCX
There are no settings: the image keeps its full size.
Keep the JPG as your original, and convert from it again if you need another format.
JPG vs PCX: the differences
| JPG | PCX | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joint Photographic Experts Group image | PC Paintbrush image |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | the Joint Photographic Experts Group | ZSoft |
| First released | 1992 | 1985 |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless |
| Transparency | No | No |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | 24-bit colour, 16.7 million colours | 1, 4, 8 or 24-bit colour, often with a 256-colour palette |
| In a browser | opens in every browser and image viewer | does not open in browsers; IrfanView, GIMP, Paint.NET and Photoshop open it |
| Common uses | camera photos, web images and email attachments | DOS-era graphics, old games and scanning, fax and label software |
| MIME type | image/jpeg | image/x-pcx |
About JPG and PCX files
What is a JPG file?
JPG discards fine detail the eye is least sensitive to, which is why a photo shrinks to a tenth of its raw size but text and sharp edges pick up blocky artefacts. Every re-save at a lossy setting throws away a little more.
What is a PCX file?
PCX was the format of ZSoft PC Paintbrush for DOS and one of the first image formats widely used on PCs. It compresses each row with simple run-length encoding, so flat artwork stays small while photos barely shrink.
JPG to PCX 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 JPG format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .jpg is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert JPG to PCX from the command line
ImageMagick does the same on your own computer:
magick input.jpg -background white -flatten output.pcxConverting 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.
JPG to PCX converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting JPG to PCX?
No. PCX is stored losslessly, so every pixel of the JPG is kept.
Why is the PCX a different size from the JPG?
Usually larger than the JPG: PCX run-length compression shrinks flat graphics but hardly touches photos, so a photo can come out ten times the size.
Are my JPG files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful JPG to PCX 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 PCX as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several JPG files to PCX 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 PCX file?
PCX does not open in browsers; IrfanView, GIMP, Paint.NET and Photoshop open it. PCX is common for DOS-era graphics, old games and scanning, fax and label software.
Is this JPG to PCX 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 JPG to PCX 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 PCX is saved to your Downloads folder.