Can I convert DDS to PNG?

Yes. Save the level you are looking at as PNG, WebP or JPG, or save every mipmap and cubemap face at once as a ZIP. To convert many DDS files in one go, use the DDS to PNG converter.

DDS File Viewer

Open DirectDraw Surface textures right in your browser - DXT, BC7, BC6H HDR, normal maps and cubemaps. Browse every mipmap and channel, zoom to single pixels and save as PNG. Converting a whole folder? Use the DDS to PNG Converter.

Drop DDS textures here or browse DXT1-5, BC4-BC7, HDR, cubemaps and arrays. Decoded in your browser - nothing is uploaded. or paste a file with Ctrl + V

Every mipmap and face BC6H HDR + BC7 Private Try a sample:

How to view DDS files online

Open your DDS file. Drop one or more .dds files into the box, browse for them, or paste one with Ctrl+V. No file handy? Open a sample.
Inspect the texture. Zoom in to single pixels, drag to pan, and point at a pixel to read its exact colour. Switch between the R, G, B and alpha channels.
Browse levels and faces. Step through every mipmap, cubemap face, array slice or volume slice. Cubemaps can be unfolded into a cross.
Check the details. The Info tab shows the format, flags and size; Hex and Structure show the raw header and where each level sits in the file.
Save it. Save the current view as PNG, WebP or JPG, or every level and face at once as a ZIP.

Need plain images for a web page or a mod? The DDS to PNG Converter handles a whole folder at once. To shrink the result, run it through Compress PNG.

About the DDS format

DDS (DirectDraw Surface) is Microsoft's container for GPU-ready textures and cubic environment maps.

It started with DirectX and became the standard texture format for Unreal, Unity, Source, CryEngine and countless mods.

Compressed DDS textures go straight into video memory without being unpacked. That cuts load times and VRAM use compared to PNG or JPEG.

GPU-native block compression (DXT, BC1-BC7)

A full mipmap chain in one file

Cubemaps, texture arrays and volume (3D) textures

DX10 extended formats - BC6H HDR, BC7, sRGB, float

Features

Texture preview

Zoom from fit to single pixels, drag to pan, go fullscreen. Transparent areas show on a checkerboard, black, grey or white.

Mipmaps, faces, slices

Step through every mipmap level, cubemap face, texture array slice and volume depth slice. Unfold a cubemap into a cross.

Channels and pixels

Isolate red, green, blue or alpha. Point at a pixel for its exact value, click to copy the hex code.

HDR and normal maps

Exposure and filmic tone mapping for BC6H and float textures. Reconstruct the blue channel of BC5 normal maps.

Hex and structure

Colour-coded hex viewer with search and go-to-offset. The structure map shows where every level sits in the file.

PNG, WebP, JPG, ZIP

Save the current view, or every level and face as a ZIP. Opening several files? Save them all in one go.

Everything is decoded in a background worker inside your browser, so even large textures open without freezing the page - and nothing reaches our servers.

Supported DDS formats

Format	Also called	Bits per pixel	Best for
BC1	DXT1	4	Opaque textures or sharp 1-bit cut-outs
BC2	DXT3 (DXT2)	8	Sharp alpha edges such as foliage and UI
BC3	DXT5 (DXT4, RXGB)	8	Smooth transparency
BC4	ATI1, BC4U / BC4S	4	Height maps, roughness, masks
BC5	ATI2, 3Dc, BC5U / BC5S	8	Tangent-space normal maps (RG)
BC6H	UF16 / SF16	8	HDR skyboxes and light maps
BC7	BPTC	8	High-quality colour with alpha
Uncompressed	RGBA, BGRA, RGB, 5:6:5, luminance, alpha	8-128	UI, lookup tables, half and full float data

DX10 headers, sRGB variants, signed formats, 10:10:10:2, 11:11:10 float and 9:9:9:E5 are read too. Analysing ordinary images instead? Try the PNG Analyzer or the EXIF Viewer.

Opening DDS files on your computer

Windows. Photos and Paint cannot open most DDS files. This page works in Edge or Chrome with nothing to install.
Mac. Preview opens only some DXT files. Use this page in Safari or Chrome for BC7, HDR and cubemaps.
Photoshop. Needs the Intel Texture Works or NVIDIA Texture Tools plugin.
GIMP and Paint.NET. Open DDS natively, but not every BC6H or BC7 file.

Working with layered sources too? The PSD Viewer opens Photoshop files the same way, and the STL Viewer shows 3D models.

Frequently Asked Questions

DDS (DirectDraw Surface) is a texture container created by Microsoft for DirectX. It stores GPU-compressed textures (DXT and BC formats) that load straight into video memory.

That is why it is the standard texture format in games and 3D tools. For other asset types, browse our File Viewers.

Mipmaps are pre-calculated, progressively smaller copies of a texture - each level is half the size of the one before. They make distant surfaces render faster and without shimmering.

Most game DDS files include a complete chain. Use the level picker, or the [ and ] keys, to step through them.

They are the same family of block compression formats under two names: BC1 = DXT1, BC2 = DXT3 and BC3 = DXT5.

BC4 and BC5 (ATI1 and ATI2) store one or two channels, BC6H stores HDR colour and BC7 gives the best quality for colour textures with alpha. The table above lists what each one is best at.

No. The viewer reads and decodes your texture entirely in your browser, so the file never leaves your device.

That makes it safe for unreleased game assets and client work. Recent files are only remembered if you switch that on, and only on your own device.

Almost every DDS format now decodes, including BC6H and BC7. A blank or partial preview usually means the file is cut off, uses a rare format such as YUV or a palette, or is really another image renamed to .dds.

The Info and Hex tabs still show what is inside. Still having trouble? Please contact us and we'll be happy to help!

Yes. Save the level you are looking at as PNG, WebP or JPG, or save every mipmap and cubemap face at once as a ZIP.

PNG export keeps the exact colour of transparent pixels. To convert many files in one go, use the DDS to PNG Converter.

Windows Photos and Paint cannot open most DDS files. Drop the file into this page instead - it works in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Linux and phones.

Photoshop needs the Intel or NVIDIA texture plugin, while GIMP and Paint.NET open DDS natively.

BC5 (ATI2) normal maps only store the X and Y directions in the red and green channels. The engine rebuilds the blue Z channel at runtime.

Turn on Reconstruct Z under the preview to see the usual purple-blue normal map.

Guides & Tutorials

All 14 guides

Guide How to Tell What Format an Image File Is (5 Easy Ways) Read the guide Guide How to Open ZIP, RAR, 7Z & TAR.GZ Files Online (Without Installing Anything) Read the guide Comparison PNG vs JPG: Which Image Format Should You Actually Use? Read the guide

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