BMP vs JPEG
A detailed comparison of BMP Image and JPEG Image — file size, quality, compatibility, and which format to choose for your workflow.
BMP Image
Raster & Vector ImagesBMP is an uncompressed raster image format native to Windows. Files are large but preserve exact pixel data with no compression artifacts. Rarely used on the web due to file size.
About BMP filesJPEG Image
Raster & Vector ImagesJPEG alternate extension. Functionally identical to JPG but uses the four-letter extension. Some older systems and cameras produce files with this extension.
About JPEG filesStrengths Comparison
BMP Strengths
- Dead-simple format — trivially easy to read and write.
- Lossless and uncompressed — perfect bit-exact pixel storage.
- Universally supported in Windows applications since 1985.
- Supports 1, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 32-bit color depths.
JPEG Strengths
- Universally supported — every camera, browser, OS, and editor reads JPEG.
- Mature, deterministic, and fast to encode/decode.
- Small file sizes for photographs — DCT compression shines on continuous-tone imagery.
- Rich metadata ecosystem (EXIF for shooting data, XMP for editing, IPTC for captions).
- Progressive variant enables perceived faster loading on slow networks.
Limitations
BMP Limitations
- Enormous file sizes — no meaningful compression in typical use.
- Not a web format — browsers support it but nobody serves BMPs over HTTP.
- No metadata support (no EXIF, no ICC profile in practice).
- Multiple header versions mean "a BMP" is ambiguous — parsers must handle several variants.
JPEG Limitations
- Lossy by design — every save further degrades quality ("generation loss").
- No transparency channel. Logos and UI elements belong in PNG or WebP.
- Terrible on flat colors, text, and sharp edges — blocking artifacts are visible.
- Limited to 8-bit color — HDR and wide gamut need JPEG XL or AVIF.
- Twice the size of WebP and 30-50% bigger than AVIF at comparable quality.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | BMP | JPEG |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | image/bmp | image/jpeg |
| Extensions | .bmp, .dib | — |
| Compression | None (typical); RLE 4/8 bit (rare) | Lossy DCT (baseline); lossless mode exists but rarely used |
| Color depths | 1, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 bits per pixel | — |
| Byte order | Little-endian | — |
| File extensions | — | .jpg, .jpeg, .jpe, .jfif |
| Standard | — | ITU-T T.81 / ISO/IEC 10918-1:1994 |
| Color depth | — | 8-bit per channel (24-bit RGB total) |
| Max dimensions | — | 65 535 × 65 535 px |
Typical File Sizes
BMP
- Small icon (32×32) 4 KB
- Screenshot (1920×1080) ~6 MB
- 4K image (3840×2160) ~25 MB
- Scanned A4 at 300 dpi ~25 MB
JPEG
- Thumbnail (400px) 20-60 KB
- Web photo (1920px) 200-500 KB
- Print-quality photo (3000px) 1-4 MB
- DSLR JPEG (24 MP, quality 95) 6-12 MB
Ready to convert?
Convert between BMP and JPEG online, free, and without installing anything. Encrypted upload, automatic deletion after 2 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
BMP (Bitmap) is a raster image format developed by Microsoft for Windows. It stores images with no compression by default, resulting in large file sizes but pixel-perfect quality. It has been part of Windows since version 1.0.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is the most widely used image format on the web, standardized in 1992. It uses lossy compression optimized for photographs, discarding visual information the human eye barely notices to achieve 10-20× smaller files than raw bitmaps. The .jpg and .jpeg extensions refer to the same format — the difference is purely historical.
BMP files open in Windows Paint, Photos, macOS Preview, GIMP, Photoshop, and virtually any image viewer. All Windows applications support BMP natively.
JPEG files open natively on every operating system and device since 1995. Windows Photos, macOS Preview, every web browser, Photoshop, GIMP, and smartphone galleries all read JPEG without any additional software.
PNG is better than BMP in almost every scenario since it provides lossless compression (smaller files), transparency support, and wider cross-platform use. BMP is mainly relevant for legacy Windows applications.
Use the JPEG-to-PNG converter on KaijuConverter — upload the JPEG and download a PNG copy. Keep in mind PNG will be larger (often 3-5×) because JPEG is lossy while PNG is lossless, but PNG preserves sharper edges and supports transparency.