Reads every common PCX variant: 1-bit monochrome, 4-color CGA, 8- and 16-color EGA (planar and packed), 256-color VGA, 24-bit and 32-bit truecolor, plus multi-page DCX fax files.
How to convert PCX to PNG
- Drop one or more
.pcxor.dcxfiles onto the box above, or click it to choose files. - Each image gets a card with a preview, its color mode, dimensions, DPI and the PCX version that wrote it.
- Optionally make a key color transparent, scale pixel art up with sharp edges, or choose whether to keep the original palette.
- Click Download PNG on a card, or Download all as ZIP to save every converted image at once.
By default, paletted PCX images are saved as indexed PNGs with the exact same palette, so the colors match the original and the files stay small. The image's DPI is carried over too, so scans print at their original size.
Supported PCX formats
| Color mode | How it's stored | Where you'll see it |
|---|---|---|
| Monochrome (2 colors) | 1 bit per pixel, 1 plane | Scanned documents, fax images, clip art |
| CGA (4 colors) | 2 bits per pixel, 1 plane | Early 1980s PC games and graphics |
| EGA (8 or 16 colors) | 1 bit × 3 or 4 planes, or 4 bits packed | DOS games, PC Paintbrush artwork |
| VGA (256 colors) | 8 bits per pixel with a palette at the end of the file | DOS and early Windows game art, Quake and Doom-era textures |
| Grayscale | 8 bits per pixel without a palette | Scans and medical or scientific images |
| Truecolor | 8 bits × 3 planes (24-bit) or 4 planes (32-bit with alpha) | Screenshots, photos, later Windows software |
| DCX | Several PCX pages in one file | Fax software and multi-page scans |
Both RLE-compressed and uncompressed PCX files are read. If a file is damaged or cut short, the converter decodes everything it can and tells you how much is missing instead of failing outright.
Tips for old game art and sprites
Making the background transparent
Sprites were often drawn on a solid key color, such as magenta or palette index 0. Pick that option under Transparent color and the PNG gets a real transparent background. The transparency is stored inside the indexed palette, so the file stays small.
Scaling up pixel art
A 320×200 screen looks tiny on a modern monitor. Use Scale to export at 2× to 8× with hard pixel edges instead of blurry resampling.
Editing in modern software
Some editors handle indexed PNGs awkwardly. If yours does, set PNG type to Full color for a standard RGB or RGBA PNG.
Converting other legacy formats? Try the TGA to PNG converter, the DDS to PNG converter or the PNM to PNG converter.
PCX to PNG FAQ
What is a PCX file?
PCX is the image format of PC Paintbrush, released by ZSoft in 1985. It became one of the first widely used image formats on DOS and early Windows, which is why it still turns up in old game files, scanner software and archived documents.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. The files are read and converted by JavaScript in your browser tab. Nothing is sent to a server, and the tool keeps working if you go offline after the page loads.
Can I convert many PCX files at once?
Yes. Drop as many files as you like. Each one gets its own settings, and Download all as ZIP packs every converted PNG into a single archive.
Will the colors match the original?
Yes. The converter uses the palette stored in the file: the 256-color palette at the end of VGA images, or the 16-color header palette for EGA and CGA images. Paletted images are saved as indexed PNGs with that palette unchanged.
Why does my PCX look wrong in other viewers but fine here?
Older viewers often ignore the palette rules for CGA and 4-plane EGA files, or only understand 256-color PCX. This converter handles each layout separately, including planar images and files from the earliest PC Paintbrush versions that store no palette at all.
Can it open DCX files?
Yes. DCX files hold several PCX pages. Each page can be picked from the Page menu and exported on its own, and the ZIP export includes whichever page you selected.
Is converting PCX to PNG lossless?
Yes. PNG is lossless, so every pixel and palette color is kept exactly. PNG's compression is also far more efficient than PCX's run-length encoding, so the files usually get smaller.
Does it keep the DPI?
Yes. The horizontal and vertical resolution stored in the PCX header is written to the PNG. If you scale the image up, the DPI is scaled with it so the printed size stays the same.