How to open Standard PNG graphics .png files
Have you had trouble opening the png file on your computer? What are png files? We explain what they are and recommend software that we know will open them.
What is png file?
PNG file extensions are typically associated with Portable Network Graphic files.
These bitmap images, known as PNG, are predominantly utilized on web pages.
Standard PNG graphics description
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) file is a type of image file format that's used to compress images in the lossless format.
Unlike JPEG, which relies on DCT compression, PNG uses LZW compression — the same as GIF and TIFF formats. The biggest advantage of PNG over JPEG is that the compression is lossless, meaning there is no loss in quality each time it is opened and saved again.
PNG also handles detailed, high-contrast images well. It also supports transparency, allowing images to overlay on different backgrounds smoothly. However, PNG files are generally larger than other file types, which can make them harder to work with for web use, where file sizes need to be smaller for faster loading times.
Suggested software to open png file
XnView MP
A popular utility for viewing and converting graphic files
There are other PNG filename extensions with the same .png suffix
png - Adobe Fireworks proprietary PNG data
A png file extension is related to the Adobe Fireworks. A png file stores Firework's PNGs are based on the Portable Network Graphic (PNG) format, but contain additional proprietary metadata.
png - Corel PaintShop Photo Pro browser catalogue
A png file extension is related to the Corel PaintShop Pro and used for its browser catalogue files.