PCX to PNG Converter

What happens when you convert PCX to PNG

• ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, reads the PCX on our conversion server and saves it as a lossless PNG.
• 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 PNG online

1. 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.
2. There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
3. Press "Convert to PNG". 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.
4. Save each PNG with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your PCX and the PNG by then.

Why convert PCX to PNG?

PCX files usually come from DOS-era graphics, old games and scanning, fax and label software. People convert them to PNG because PNG keeps sharp edges, text and transparency without any loss.

In short, PCX is good at what it was made for, and PNG 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 PNG opens in every browser and image viewer.

How to convert PCX to PNG 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 PNG 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 PNG 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 PNG 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 PNG is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.

Best settings for PCX to PNG

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 PNG: the differences

About PCX and PNG 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 PNG file?

PNG compresses without losing a single pixel, so screenshots and text stay razor sharp, but a photograph saved as PNG is often three to five times the size of the same photo as JPG.

PCX to PNG 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 PNG from the command line

ImageMagick does the same on your own computer:

magick input.pcx output.png

Converting 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.