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ImageConverter

Secure server conversion

BMP to PNG Converter

Convert BMP images to PNG with no quality loss whatsoever, and usually a dramatically smaller file. This is the unusual conversion with no trade-off to weigh: BMP stores pixels uncompressed, PNG compresses them losslessly, so you get the identical image in less space — often far less, depending on what the picture contains.

Deleted automatically Uploads removed within 30 minutes

Drag and drop your BMP images here

Add several at once. Each file is processed and then deleted from our server.

Up to 20 MB per file Batch ready

Step by step

How to convert BMP to PNG in 3 steps

  1. Add your BMP files

    Drag them in or click to browse.

  2. Nothing to configure

    PNG is lossless, so there is no quality decision and any transparency carries over automatically.

  3. Download

    Same image, far smaller file.

Format comparison

BMP vs PNG

BMP (Windows Bitmap)

Uncompressed

An early Windows format that stores pixels more or less raw, with little or no compression.

  • Read by old and embedded software that knows nothing newer
  • No compression artefacts
  • Very large files for the image size

PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

Lossless

Stores every pixel exactly as it was saved, so nothing is lost however often the file is opened and saved.

  • Pixel-perfect: ideal for screenshots, logos and text
  • Supported everywhere, including every browser
  • Photographs make large files — often several times the JPG size

This is the rare conversion where one format is simply better than the other for almost every purpose, and it is worth understanding why.

BMP writes down every pixel. Introduced with Windows in the 1980s, it stores the colour of each pixel one after another with essentially no compression. A 1920×1080 image is about 6 MB whether it is a photograph or a plain white rectangle, because both contain the same number of pixels.

PNG stores the same pixels, compressed losslessly. It finds patterns — runs of identical colour, rows resembling the row above — and describes them compactly. Nothing is discarded. Decompress a PNG and you get back exactly what went in, bit for bit.

So converting BMP to PNG gives you:

  • An identical image. Not "visually identical" — literally the same pixels.
  • A smaller file — usually much smaller. How much depends entirely on the content: screenshots and diagrams routinely drop by 90% or more, while photographs save closer to 20%, because PNG compresses repetition and photographs have little.
  • Transparency preserved, where a 32-bit BMP has an alpha channel.
  • Much better compatibility. BMP is poorly supported on the web and outside Windows; PNG works everywhere.

There is no downside worth mentioning. The only cost is a small amount of processing when the file is opened, which no modern device notices.

Quality

Quality and file size

There is no quality setting, because nothing is lost. That is the entire point of choosing PNG over JPG here.

How much you save depends on what the image contains:

  • Screenshots, diagrams, pixel art, line drawings — 90% or more. Large areas of identical colour are exactly what PNG compresses best, and a simple UI capture can shrink by 99%.
  • Photographs — around 15–30%. Modest, because PNG compresses repetition and a photograph has little of it. The saving is real but it is not the transformation you get on a screenshot.
  • Noisy or dithered images — least of all, for the same reason.

If the PNG is still larger than you would like, two options depending on the content:

  • It is a photograph — JPG will be far smaller again, typically around 85% below the BMP where PNG manages only about 20%. You lose a little quality, invisible on a photograph.
  • It is a graphic or screenshot — PNG compression reduces the colour palette and often halves the size again with no visible change, since these images typically use few distinct colours.

Why PNG is usually the right target for a BMP

Most BMPs in circulation are screenshots, UI captures, pixel art, or images from older Windows software — and all of those are made of text, hard edges and flat colour. Those are precisely what lossy compression handles worst and what PNG handles best.

Converting such an image to JPG saves more space but visibly damages it: faint halos appear around letters, and solid panels develop blotching. Converting to PNG saves almost as much and damages nothing.

A rough rule: if you can read words in the image, use PNG. Reserve JPG for photographs.

Where BMPs come from

  • Microsoft Paint, which defaulted to BMP for decades.
  • Screen captures from older Windows tools, remote-desktop clients and automation software.
  • Scanners and cameras with legacy drivers.
  • Industrial, laboratory and medical equipment, which favours simple predictable formats.
  • Games and legacy applications storing textures and sprites.
  • Embedded devices, where needing no decompression is a genuine advantage.

Pixel art and retro graphics

Worth calling out specifically. Pixel art is BMP's most common surviving use outside Windows internals, and it is the content type where the choice of format matters most.

PNG preserves every pixel exactly, which is essential — in pixel art, individual pixels are the artwork, and any lossy compression destroys the crisp boundaries that define it. PNG is also the standard format for sprite sheets and game assets, so converting makes the file more useful, not less.

Never convert pixel art to JPG. The result looks smeared at any quality setting.

Privacy

What happens to your file

This tool runs on our server, so it works the same on every phone and computer. Your file is uploaded, and this is exactly what happens to it:

  • Stored outside the public web root under a random name, never under your file's name.
  • Processed, with the original upload deleted immediately — whether it succeeded or failed.
  • The result sits behind a signed link that only you receive, which stops working after 20 minutes, and the file is deleted the moment you download it.
  • Anything never collected is deleted automatically within 30 minutes.
  • The image itself is never logged or kept. If a conversion fails, we record the formats involved and the error — not the file.
  • Camera metadata, including any GPS coordinates recording where a photo was taken, is removed from the result. Only the rotation needed to show the image the right way up is kept.

Questions & answers

BMP to PNG: frequently asked questions

Does converting BMP to PNG lose any quality?

None at all. Both formats are lossless, so the PNG contains exactly the same pixels as the BMP — not "visually identical" but literally identical. PNG simply stores them more efficiently.

How much smaller will the PNG be?

It depends heavily on the content. Screenshots, diagrams and pixel art routinely drop by 90% or more, because large areas of identical colour are what PNG compresses best. Photographs save far less — around 15–30% — since there is little repetition to exploit. If your BMP is a photograph and you want a small file, JPG is the better target.

Should I convert my BMP to PNG or JPG?

PNG for anything containing text, hard edges or flat colour — which describes most BMPs, since so many are screenshots. JPG only for photographs, where it saves more space and the loss is invisible. If you can read words in the image, use PNG.

Is PNG good for pixel art?

It is the correct choice. Pixel art depends on individual pixels being exact, and PNG preserves every one. It is also the standard for sprite sheets and game assets. Never convert pixel art to JPG — it looks smeared at any quality setting.

Will transparency be preserved?

Yes, where it exists. 32-bit BMPs can carry an alpha channel, though most BMPs do not have one, and PNG preserves it exactly.

Is my file uploaded?

Yes. The conversion runs on our server so that it works the same on every device. Your upload is deleted the moment the PNG is made, the PNG is deleted as soon as you download it, and no one looks at your images.

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