XPM file format: what it is and how to use it

XPM is X11's icon format: images written as valid C source code, the 1989 answer to shipping pictures inside programs. Learn when to use it and what to choose instead.

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What is a XPM file?

An .xpm file is an image written as C source code, the X PixMap format from 1989: a static char * array where each character maps to a color and each string is a pixel row, so the image compiles straight into a program. It was how X11 applications shipped icons and cursors before resources and binaries made better answers.

When should you use XPM?

  • X11 and Motif programs: the icon format the classic Unix desktop expects.
  • C-embedded images: graphics that live inside source, not beside it.
  • Hand-editable icons: pixels as characters you can literally type.

When is another format a better fit?

For everything else, meaning PNG, ICO or SVG, XPM's C-source trick is a relic: enormous for its content, limited to tiny indexed images, useless outside code. Convert it to PNG and the picture finally lives as a picture.

The short version: XPM is the image-that-is-source-code: a cute 1989 hack. Convert it to PNG for the real world.

How to open a XPM file

On Windows

Double-click the file, or open it with GIMP.

On macOS

XnView opens XPM files on macOS.

In your browser

Open XPM files right in a browser tab or with the dexrr viewer. No install, no upload.

Also opens in

  • GIMP
  • ImageMagick
  • XnView
  • X11 apps

View or convert XPM files

A quick preview or a new format. No install, no upload.

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XPM technical details

Full name
X PixMap
Extensions
.xpm
MIME type
image/x-xpixmap, image/xpm
Magic bytes
2F 2A 20 58 50 4D 20 2A 2F (/* XPM */)
Compression
None (uncompressed)
Developer
Arnaud Le Hors / X Consortium

XPM questions, answered

How do I open a .xpm file?

ImageMagick, GIMP, FFmpeg and X11 tools read it; general viewers rarely do. dexrr displays and converts xpm files directly in your browser.

Can I convert XPM files online?

Yes, dexrr converts xpm locally in your browser: XPM to PNG to make it a real image file.

Is XPM better than PNG?

Only if you want an image embeddable in C source, its entire reason to exist. For images as images, PNG wins on every metric.

Why does my .xpm file look like code?

Because it is. XPM stores the image as a C string array where each character is a pixel color. That was the 1989 trick.

Is the XPM format outdated?

Yes, a Unix-workstation relic that survives in old X11 programs and embedded-resource hacks.