BMP vs JXL
A detailed comparison of BMP Image and JPEG XL 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 XL Image
Raster & Vector ImagesJPEG XL is a next-generation image codec designed to replace JPEG with better compression, lossless transcoding from existing JPEGs, and progressive decoding. Browser support is still emerging.
About JXL 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.
JXL Strengths
- Lossless JPEG re-encoding — migrate billions of JPEGs without any quality loss.
- Best-in-class lossless compression — typically beats PNG by 30-50%.
- Single format for web, print, HDR, and archival workflows.
- Progressive decoding with fine-grained previews.
- Patent-free and royalty-free.
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.
JXL Limitations
- Chrome removed support in 2022; desktop ecosystem adoption stalled.
- Editor/tool support lags behind AVIF and HEIC.
- Encoding is CPU-heavy, particularly for high-quality settings.
- Two-camera market (AVIF vs JPEG XL) confuses publishers choosing a modern format.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | BMP | JXL |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | image/bmp | image/jxl |
| Extensions | .bmp, .dib | — |
| Compression | None (typical); RLE 4/8 bit (rare) | — |
| Color depths | 1, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 bits per pixel | — |
| Byte order | Little-endian | — |
| Extension | — | .jxl |
| Standard | — | ISO/IEC 18181 (2021) |
| Max dimensions | — | 1 073 741 824 × 1 073 741 824 px (effectively unbounded) |
| Bit depth | — | Up to 32-bit float per channel |
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
JXL
- Web photo (1920px, lossy) 100-400 KB
- Lossless from JPEG source Original JPEG size × 0.8
- Lossless from PNG source Original PNG size × 0.6
- HDR photo (12-bit, 4K) 500 KB - 2 MB
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Convert between BMP and JXL online, free, and without installing anything. Encrypted upload, automatic deletion after 60 minutes.
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.
BMP (Bitmap) is a raster image formato developed by Microsoft para Windows. It stores images com no compressão by default, resulting in large tamanho do arquivos mas pixel-perfect quality. It has been part of Windows since version 1.0.
BMP files open in Windows Paint, Photos, macOS Preview, GIMP, Photoshop, and virtually any image viewer. All Windows applications support BMP natively.
BMP arquivos abrir in Windows Paint, Photos, macOS Preview, GIMP, Photoshop, e virtually any image viewer. All Windows aplicativos support BMP natively.
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.
PNG is melhor que BMP in almost every scenario since it fornece sem perdas compressão (smaller files), transparência support, e wider cross-platform use. BMP is mainly relevant para legacy Windows aplicativos.