View DirectDraw Surface textures with metadata extraction, mipmap preview, hex viewer, and detailed file structure analysis. Free, fast, and secure browser-based viewer.
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View DDS textures directly in your browser with zoom and pan controls
Browse all mipmap levels and see how textures scale down
Extract dimensions, format, compression type, and header information
All processing happens in your browser - files never leave your device
DDS (DirectDraw Surface) is a container format for storing textures and cubic environment maps. Originally developed by Microsoft for use with DirectX, it's now the standard texture format for game development and 3D graphics applications.
4:1 compression, 1-bit alpha or no alpha. Best for opaque textures.
4:1 compression with explicit 4-bit alpha. Good for sharp alpha edges.
4:1 compression with interpolated alpha. Best for smooth transparency.
Single channel compression. Ideal for height maps and grayscale.
Two channel compression. Perfect for normal maps (RG).
RGBA, RGB, BGRA, BGR, and luminance formats supported.
DDS (DirectDraw Surface) is a texture format developed by Microsoft for DirectX. It stores textures in GPU-compressed formats like DXT/BC, making them efficient to load directly into video memory without decompression. DDS is the standard format for game textures.
Mipmaps are pre-calculated, smaller versions of a texture. Each mipmap level is half the size of the previous one. They improve rendering performance and reduce aliasing when textures are viewed from a distance. Most DDS files include a full mipmap chain.
DXT (DirectX Texture Compression) and BC (Block Compression) refer to the same algorithms. BC1-BC3 are identical to DXT1, DXT3, and DXT5. BC4-BC7 are newer formats introduced with DirectX 10/11 that offer better quality and more options for different use cases.
Yes, your files are completely secure. All file processing happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your DDS files are never uploaded to any server, ensuring complete privacy for your textures and game assets.
Some DDS formats may not be fully supported yet. We support DXT1-5, BC1-5, and common uncompressed formats. BC6H and BC7 have partial support. If your texture doesn't display, try the Info tab to see the detected format.
Yes! Use the "Export as PNG" button to convert the currently displayed mipmap level to a PNG file. This allows you to save your DDS textures in a standard image format that can be opened in any image editor.