What happens when you convert PSD to BMP
- ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, reads the flattened copy of the whole picture that Photoshop saves inside every PSD, the image you see with all layers visible, on our conversion server, and saves it as a 24-bit bitmap.
- Layers are not exported one by one: the result is the finished picture. A PSD saved with Maximize Compatibility turned off in Photoshop may have no usable flattened copy, and then comes out blank; resave it with that option on.
- BMP has no transparency, so transparent areas are filled with white.
- 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 PSD to BMP online
- Press "Choose PSD 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 PSD and the BMP by then.
Why convert PSD to BMP?
PSD files usually come from Photoshop artwork, photo retouching, mock-ups and design files. People convert them to BMP because BMP is read by almost every Windows program, embedded display and old piece of software.
In short, PSD is good at what it was made for, and BMP is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. PSD does not open in browsers; Photoshop opens it, and GIMP, Affinity Photo and Photopea read most PSD files, while BMP opens in browsers and every Windows image tool.
How to convert PSD to BMP on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your PSD 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 PSD 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 PSD 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 PSD 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 PSD to BMP
There are no settings: the image keeps its full size.
If you need a single layer rather than the whole picture, hide the other layers in Photoshop and save a copy first.
PSD vs BMP: the differences
| PSD | BMP | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adobe Photoshop document | Bitmap image |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | Adobe | Microsoft |
| First released | 1990 | 1990 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | up to 32 bits per channel, in RGB, CMYK, Lab or greyscale | up to 32-bit colour |
| What it holds | layers, masks, adjustment and text layers, plus a flattened copy of the whole image | up to 32-bit colour |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; Photoshop opens it, and GIMP, Affinity Photo and Photopea read most PSD files | opens in browsers and every Windows image tool |
| Common uses | Photoshop artwork, photo retouching, mock-ups and design files | Windows software, embedded displays and legacy tools |
| MIME type | image/vnd.adobe.photoshop | image/bmp |
About PSD and BMP files
What is a PSD file?
A PSD keeps every layer, mask, adjustment and text layer separately so the work can be edited later, and stores a flattened copy of the whole picture beside them. A PSD is limited to 30,000 pixels a side and 2 GB; larger work is saved as PSB.
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.
PSD to BMP 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 PSD format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .psd is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert PSD to BMP from the command line
ImageMagick does the same on your own computer:
magick input.psd[0] -background white -flatten 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.
PSD to BMP converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting PSD to BMP?
No. BMP is stored losslessly, so every pixel of the flattened picture is kept. The separate layers are not.
Why is the BMP a different size from the PSD?
Usually much smaller than the PSD, because only the flattened picture is kept, without the layers.
Are my PSD files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful PSD to BMP 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 BMP as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several PSD 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 PSD 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 PSD 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.