Images conversion
Convert DICOM to PNG
DICOM is the format MRI, CT, and X-ray machines save images in, and it usually needs specialized viewer software to open. PNG opens in any browser or photo app. To convert, open the DICOM file in a converter and export it as PNG, on your own computer, so the scan and the patient details in it never leave your machine.
All 2,748 conversions verified on macOS, Windows, and Linux against the shipping release, this one included. Every conversion runs entirely on your own computer.
- Extension
- .dcm
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Medical scans (MRI, CT, X-ray)
- Transparency
- None
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
- Extension
- .png
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Screenshots, logos, UI assets
- Transparency
- Supported
Convert DICOM to PNG on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
One-time purchase, no subscription. 14 days to change your mind.
How to convert DICOM to PNG
- Open Morphjet and drag in the DICOM file, or a whole folder of scans at once.
- Choose PNG as the output format.
- Convert. The PNGs are written to your computer, and nothing is uploaded anywhere.
DICOM vs PNG: what actually changes
| DICOM | PNG | |
|---|---|---|
| Opens everywhere | No, needs medical imaging software | Yes, opens in any browser or photo app |
| File size | Larger, often includes multiple slices and a full header | Smaller, one flat image |
| Quality | Lossless, full diagnostic detail | Lossless, but flattened to a single image |
| Transparency | No | Yes, though rarely used for scans |
| Patient metadata | Yes, name, ID, birth date, and more stored in the header | No, that header data doesn't carry over |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert DICOM to PNG when you need to share a scan image in a report, presentation, email, or webpage where a regular image viewer is all that's available.
Keep the DICOM original for anything clinical or diagnostic, since PNG can't hold the full slice stack, scanner settings, or patient record that a DICOM viewer relies on.
Why not just use an online converter?
A DICOM file's header routinely carries the patient's name, ID, and birth date right alongside the image data. Send that file to an online converter and those details go to someone else's server along with the scan. Converting on your own computer keeps the image, and who it belongs to, on your machine the whole time.
Questions
Does converting DICOM to PNG lose image quality?
The pixel data itself isn't degraded, since both formats are lossless. DICOM scans can store more shades of gray than a standard image needs, so on-screen the PNG looks the same, but it's a viewing copy, not a replacement for the original when precision matters.
Will the PNG keep the patient's name and other details from the scan?
No. PNG has no place to store DICOM's header fields, so information like patient name, ID, and birth date is left behind automatically. Only what's visible in the image itself carries over.
Why are medical scans saved as DICOM instead of a normal image format?
DICOM was built for clinical use, so one file can hold an entire stack of slices along with scanner settings and patient records, which is what diagnostic viewers need. That structure isn't something ordinary photo apps or browsers understand, which is why people convert to PNG to simply view or share an image.
Can I convert DICOM to PNG without uploading the scan anywhere?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts the file locally, so it never travels over the internet. You can do it with your wifi off and get the same result.
Morphjet runs this conversion and 2,747 others, all on your machine. Available now.
One-time purchase, no subscription. 14 days to change your mind.