Unable to open PCX image files, how to fix?
Solved File Viewers
MS
Michael Scofield
December 3, 2019
2 replies
3,940 views
Reviewed by moderators

Archive of old scanned documents is all in PCX format. Windows Photos refuses them and most modern apps do not know PCX. I need to view them and convert the lot to PNG or JPG. Batch route?

Accepted Answer
Verified by David Taylor, Community Expert ยท Reviewed December 2019

PCX is a legacy paint format most modern viewers dropped.

1
View and batch convert: IrfanView opens PCX and its Batch Conversion (File, Batch) turns a whole folder into PNG or JPG in one job. This is the standard answer for obsolete image formats.
2
GIMP and XnView also read PCX if you prefer those, both with batch export.
3
Any file that opens damaged was likely corrupted in storage. An image recovery tool can rebuild partially readable ones.

IrfanView batch converted 400 PCX scans to PNG in a couple of minutes. Archive is usable. Solved.