What is a BMP file?
BMP — Windows bitmap
Use the format BMP
A concrete example
Make a capture from old software easier to share.
Useful checks
Compare the dimensions. JPEG compression can alter fine texts and flat areas.
Choose a conversion
Keep the original and open the result in the software or on the device that will need to use it.
Your questions about this format
How to convert a HEIC photo from iPhone for free?
Choose your HEIC file in Images, then JPEG to share it widely or PNG if your usage requires it. Proceed to preparation, check the output, and start the conversion. Download and open the result. HEIC remains free; size limits and daily quota apply.
JPEG, PNG or WEBP: how to choose?
For a photo to send, start with JPEG. For a logo with transparency or sharp text, prefer PNG. For a web publication, WEBP can be interesting: compare the size and the rendering before publication. Converting a JPEG to PNG does not restore details lost earlier.
Why does my transparent background become opaque?
JPEG does not preserve transparency. Choose PNG or WEBP when the background must remain transparent and the proposed conversion allows it. If the background is already flattened in the original file, changing the format will not remove it.
Will my Photoshop layers or my vector drawing be preserved?
A JPEG or PNG output is a flattened image. It does not retain PSD layers or the editable objects of an SVG or an Illustrator file. Keep your working file and use the exported copy for sharing. Specialized creation formats are indicated by NoLimit.
What is it?
BMP stores an image pixel by pixel, with no compression whatsoever: every dot in the image takes up its full share of space in the file. The result is utterly simple — and unreasonably heavy.
A 1920 by 1080 image weighs in at roughly 6 MB as a BMP, compared to 300 KB as a JPEG for a result that looks identical to the eye.
History & origin
BMP dates back to the earliest versions of Windows, in the late 1980s. Computing power was scarce at the time, and it made more sense to spend disk space than processor time: skipping compression altogether was a rational choice.
That trade-off no longer makes any sense today, and the format only survives out of inertia, in old software and a handful of technical uses.
Why it is useful
Total simplicity: no decoding, no artifacts, no loss. Any program can read a BMP with just a few lines of code.
It still has its uses in certain embedded or industrial settings, where simplicity matters more than file size.
Limits & drawbacks
An indefensible file size, with no quality advantage over PNG, which is also lossless yet ten times lighter.
No reliable transparency, no support on the web, no metadata.
Practical tips
There's no longer any reason to keep a BMP file. Convert it to PNG: you'll keep the exact same lossless quality for a fraction of the size.
If it's a photo, JPEG will be even lighter, at the cost of lossy compression that's practically invisible in real-world use.
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Convert a BMP