BMP vs WMF
A detailed comparison of BMP Image and Windows Metafile — 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 filesWindows Metafile
Raster & Vector ImagesWMF (Windows Metafile) is a legacy Windows vector graphics format.
About WMF 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.
WMF Strengths
- Native Windows vector format.
- Efficient for line-art and diagrammatic images.
- Preserved in Office clipboard workflows.
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.
WMF Limitations
- Windows-only — poor Mac and Linux support.
- 2005 security vulnerability eroded trust.
- 16-bit coordinates in original WMF limit canvas size.
- Largely superseded by SVG for modern vector exchange.
- Not a web format.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | BMP | WMF |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | image/bmp | image/wmf |
| 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 | — | .wmf |
| Container | — | Sequence of GDI drawing records |
| Successors | — | .emf (1993), .emf+ / .emfx (2000) |
| Related spec | — | [MS-WMF] (Microsoft Open Specifications) |
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
WMF
- Simple clipart 5-50 KB
- Detailed vector drawing 50-500 KB
Ready to convert?
Convert between BMP and WMF 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.