What happens when you convert PCX to GIF
- ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, reads the PCX on our conversion server and saves it as a GIF with a 256-colour palette built from the image.
- GIF allows 256 colours, so photos pick up some banding. Graphics with flat colours convert cleanly.
- PCX files with a 256-colour palette are expanded to full colour, so they look exactly as the palette defines them.
- 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 PCX to GIF online
- Press "Choose PCX 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 GIF". 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 GIF with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your PCX and the GIF by then.
Why convert PCX to GIF?
PCX files usually come from DOS-era graphics, old games and scanning, fax and label software. People convert them to GIF because a GIF loops silently in any chat app, email or forum post without a play button.
In short, PCX is good at what it was made for, and GIF is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. PCX does not open in browsers; IrfanView, GIMP, Paint.NET and Photoshop open it, while GIF opens and animates in every browser.
How to convert PCX to GIF on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your PCX files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each GIF is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the PCX files from Finder onto the drop zone and the GIF files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose PCX files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted GIF 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 PCX files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The GIF is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for PCX to GIF
There are no settings: the image keeps its full size.
Keep the PCX as your original, and convert from it again if you need another format.
PCX vs GIF: the differences
| PCX | GIF | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | PC Paintbrush image | Graphics Interchange Format |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | ZSoft | CompuServe |
| First released | 1985 | 1987 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | No | Yes |
| Animation | No | Yes |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | 1, 4, 8 or 24-bit colour, often with a 256-colour palette | 256 colours per frame from a palette |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; IrfanView, GIMP, Paint.NET and Photoshop open it | opens and animates in every browser |
| Common uses | DOS-era graphics, old games and scanning, fax and label software | short looping animations, reactions and simple graphics |
| MIME type | image/x-pcx | image/gif |
About PCX and GIF files
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.
What is a GIF file?
GIF stores each frame with a palette of at most 256 colours, so photos turn grainy and animations get large fast. Transparency is on or off per pixel, with no soft edges.
PCX to GIF 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 PCX format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .pcx is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert PCX to GIF from the command line
ImageMagick does the same on your own computer:
magick input.pcx output.gifConverting 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.
PCX to GIF converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting PCX to GIF?
Photos lose some colour accuracy, because GIF is limited to 256 colours. Flat graphics look the same.
Why is the GIF a different size from the PCX?
It depends on the image: GIF and PCX compress differently.
Are my PCX files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful PCX to GIF 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 GIF as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several PCX files to GIF 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 GIF file?
GIF opens and animates in every browser. GIF is common for short looping animations, reactions and simple graphics.
Is this PCX to GIF 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 PCX to GIF 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 GIF is saved to your Downloads folder.