PCX to PNG Converter - Legacy DOS Graphics Tool

Convert ZSoft PCX images to PNG online. Restore retro DOS game graphics, vintage clip art. Browser-based, no uploads.

Drag & drop PCX file here

Supports .pcx files (DOS/Windows legacy format)

Preview

Select a PCX file to preview

Processing...

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Frequently Asked Questions

PCX (PC Paintbrush) is an image format created by ZSoft Corporation in 1985 for their PC Paintbrush DOS software. It was widely used in the 1980s-90s for DOS games, clip art, fax software, and early Windows applications before being replaced by formats like GIF, PNG, and JPEG.

PCX files are found in old DOS games, vintage clip art collections, legacy software archives, and retro computing projects. Modern software rarely supports PCX, so converting to PNG allows viewing, editing, and preserving these historical graphics.

PCX files appear in DOS game archives (Commander Keen, Duke Nukem, Sierra adventure games), shareware CD-ROMs from the 1990s, old clip art collections, vintage desktop publishing files, and retro computing preservation projects. Many abandonware sites distribute games with original PCX graphics.

This tool supports all major PCX variants: 1-bit monochrome, 4-bit EGA (16 colors), 8-bit VGA (256 colors), and 24-bit true color images. It handles both uncompressed and RLE-compressed PCX files with various color plane configurations.

PCX uses Run-Length Encoding (RLE) compression where repeated bytes are stored as a count and value pair. The format stores images in color planes (separate channels for each bit depth) and includes either an embedded 16-color palette or a 256-color VGA palette at file end.

Yes. PNG conversion is lossless, preserving exact pixel data and colors from the PCX palette. Low-resolution DOS graphics (320×200, 640×480) remain crisp and authentic, perfect for retro game preservation or artwork archives.

Yes. The tool decodes standard PCX format used by games like Commander Keen, Doom (startup graphics), Duke Nukem, Sierra AGI/SCI games, and many DOS shareware titles. Custom or non-standard variants may not be supported.

PCX was replaced by superior formats: GIF offered better compression for 256-color images, JPEG provided photographic compression, and PNG combined lossless compression with modern features. PCX lacked transparency, had poor compression, and no widespread patent-free implementation until formats like PNG emerged.

Both PCX and PNG are lossless formats. The conversion preserves every pixel exactly as stored in the original PCX palette. No quality degradation occurs—you get pixel-perfect faithful reproductions of vintage graphics.

Ensure it's a valid PCX file (128-byte header starting with 0x0A). Some very old or non-standard PCX variants may fail. Try opening in DOSBox or GIMP first to verify integrity. Corrupted files from failing floppy disks or bad downloads won't convert.