Sometimes we come across files on our computer that we don’t recognize and certainly don’t know how to open and view. This could be the case with BMP files, which are a high-quality digital image format primarily used for printing. If we happen to have one and don’t know how to open it, you’ve come to the right place.
And, above all, if we are not very computer savvy, we are likely to find ourselves in situations like this, where we have a file that we have no idea what it is for or how to open it. That is why, today, we will clear up any confusion and explain what a BMP file is.
A bitmap (BMP) file is a type of digital image file format that is commonly used in digital photography and certain applications such as Microsoft Paint. Bitmap files, which essentially mean “map of bits,” are typically larger than other image file types. The larger size is due to the lack of compression found in other file types such as JPEG.
Because the BMP file was created by Microsoft, it is most commonly used in Windows operating systems. This file type contains uncompressed image data, which can support monochrome and color images with variable color bit depths, as well as image metadata. It contains information about the file size, width, height, and color options, as well as where the bitmap pixels should be placed within the grid. As a result, BMP files are frequently used to store 2D digital photos.
Have you ever seen a BMP image file? This type of format is growing in popularity because it’s mostly used for work images. BMP files can store low-resolution, high-quality color images with a depth of 16 or 32 bits. These files take up a lot of space, but the compression does not affect their quality.
It’s important to understand how to open this type of file before attempting to edit it or convert it. If you know what you’re doing, opening and viewing these files shouldn’t cause any difficulties. If you’re trying to convert them, though, you’ll need the right viewer and an efficient converter.
How to Open BMP Files on a Windows PC:
Microsoft Office Picture Manager
Install an image viewing program on your computer. Because the bitmap file format is commonly used with Microsoft operating systems, the following steps employ Microsoft Office Picture Manager. Please keep in mind that the same procedure will work with the majority of image-viewing programs. Picture Manager is included in the Office suite of programs, and a free trial version is available from the Microsoft Office website (see Resources section). Picture Manager 2003 is also available for free download from the Brothersoft website (see Resources section).
Paint
A true classic that has been included in Windows since its inception. It is a very simple photo editor that will allow us to open BMP files without issue. To do so, open it and then click on the File tab in the upper left. This will bring up a context menu from which we can choose Open. Following that, a File Explorer window will appear, in which we must select the BMP file and press Open. This will open the image in Paint.
Convert to another format
There are times when we cannot correctly see the content of a BMP file because it is inaccessible. In these cases, we can convert the bitmap file to another file format such as JPG or PNG using an online image conversion tool such as Online-Convert or Convertio. It will only be necessary to upload the file and choose the format to which we want to convert it.
You can now try it on your own now that you know how to handle a BMP file type on your system. Knowing How to Open BMP Files on Windows PC will help you build your portfolio, especially if you want to work in professional image production. Taking this route may necessitate the use of a professional but user-friendly image editor to assist you in producing flawless BMP photos.
