.dcm files
.dcm file
DICOM Medical Image
The scan format hospitals use for X-rays, CT, MRI and ultrasound.
What opens a .dcm file
- Windows
- MicroDicom, Weasis, 3D Slicer, RadiAnt DICOM Viewer
- macOS
- Horos, Weasis, 3D Slicer
- Linux
- Weasis, 3D Slicer, Ginkgo CADx
What a .dcm file is
DICOM is both an image format and a network standard, maintained by NEMA, and a .dcm file carries the pixel data plus patient and study metadata. Discs handed out by radiology departments usually include a bundled viewer, but it is often Windows-only and dated. Free cross-platform viewers such as Weasis and 3D Slicer read them properly, and note that the file contains identifying patient details in plain fields.
Converting it
A .dcm file is commonly converted to .jpg, .png, .tiff, .pdf or .nifti. It is a binary format, so a text editor will show unreadable characters rather than its contents.
Details
- Extension
- .dcm
- Full name
- DICOM Medical Image
- Category
- Images
- MIME type
- application/dicom
- Created by
- NEMA / DICOM Standards Committee
- Format
- Binary
Common questions
- How do I open a .dcm file?
- On Windows use MicroDicom; on macOS use Horos; on Linux use Weasis. The scan format hospitals use for X-rays, CT, MRI and ultrasound.
- What is a .dcm file?
- DICOM Medical Image. DICOM is both an image format and a network standard, maintained by NEMA, and a .dcm file carries the pixel data plus patient and study metadata. Discs handed out by radiology departments usually include a bundled viewer, but it is often Windows-only and dated.
- Can I convert a .dcm file?
- Yes. It is usually converted to .jpg, .png, .tiff, .pdf or .nifti, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.
Related pages
- .jpg — JPEG Image The lossy photo format that every camera, phone and website has used since the 1
- .png — Portable Network Graphics Lossless image format with transparency, made for screenshots, logos and web gra
- .jpeg — JPEG Image (four-letter form) The same format as .jpg — the longer spelling, kept alive by Macs and Unix syste
- .heic — High Efficiency Image Container The format an iPhone saves photos in — about half the size of a JPEG at the same
- .webp — WebP Image Google's web image format — smaller than JPEG or PNG, and now supported everywhe
- .gif — Graphics Interchange Format The 256-colour animation format from 1987 that refuses to die.
- .psd — Adobe Photoshop Document Photoshop's working file, keeping layers, masks and text editable.
- .svg — Scalable Vector Graphics An XML text format describing shapes rather than pixels, so it stays sharp at an
- .ai — Adobe Illustrator Artwork Illustrator's vector working file, used for logos, icons and print artwork.
- .avif — AV1 Image File Format A royalty-free image format built on the AV1 video codec, smaller than JPEG or W
- .tiff — Tagged Image File Format The lossless, multi-page image format used in printing, scanning and archiving.
- .raw — Camera Raw Image Unprocessed sensor data from a camera — and, confusingly, a literal extension us
Sources
- Media Types Registry — IANA
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place