The converter also works in reverse, so you can convert other "Legacy Bitmap Image" formats to PCX without using software like PaintShop Pro or a similar tool.
The .PCX (Picture Exchange) file is a legacy raster image format originally created by ZSoft Corporation for its PC Paintbrush software in the 1980s. It was one of the first widely adopted image standards for DOS systems. While the original software is defunct, these files can still be opened by legacy support in programs like PaintShop Pro, GIMP, or IrfanView. Read more about its history on Wikipedia.
Today, the .PCX format is highly impractical. It relies on an outdated Run-Length Encoding (RLE) scheme that is heavily inefficient for modern, high-resolution graphics. Most web browsers, mobile devices, and default operating system image viewers cannot open .PCX files natively. Keeping historical or game asset images in this format risks data lock-in and limits basic accessibility.
To use these images today, you must convert them. For web compatibility and archiving lossless quality, convert to PNG. For smaller file sizes suitable for sharing over email, convert to JPG. For modern web delivery, convert to WEBP. Just drag and drop your file here to analyze and convert it - free, online, and without installing outdated software.
Use Convert.Guru to open and convert your PCX file.
If you want to convert PCX file to PFX, GRF or CUR, you can use PaintShop Pro or similar software from the "Legacy Bitmap Image Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to PCX, try PaintShop Pro or another comparable tool in the "Legacy Bitmap Image Storage" category.
The PCX Converter Story
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our PCX converter.