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ECW PNG
File conversion

Convert ECW to PNG

Verified by Adam B.· reviewed by FE Editorial ·updated Jul 30, 2026
QUICK ANSWER
Is it possible to convert ECW to PNG?
Yes - ECW converts to PNG.

Open the .ecw in IrfanView (with plugin pack) or XnView MP and use File > Save As to export as PNG. For large ECW files, be aware that lossless PNG can reach several gigabytes compared to the compressed ECW.

2 programs
Also to PNG: QOI · APM · PBM

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Tested on macOS, Windows & Linux
Last verified Oct 2026

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Why convert ECW to PNG?

ECW requires a specialist codec to open and cannot be viewed in standard browsers or image editors. .png opens anywhere and is the best choice when you need a lossless visual copy to share - provided map coordinates are not needed.

How to convert ECW to PNG

IrfanView FREE

Install IrfanView with the full plugin pack, open the .ecw via File > Open, then File > Save As and choose PNG.

XnView MP FREE

Open the .ecw in XnView MP, go to File > Export (or Shift+E), choose PNG as the output format and save.

Programs that convert ECW

IrfanView
XnView MP

About these formats

.ECW Enhanced Compression Wavelet (ECW) image

An ECW file is a wavelet-compressed aerial or satellite image used in GIS software. To view one for free on Windows, use IrfanView (with plugin pack) or QGIS; QGIS also works on macOS and…

Open .ECW details →
.PNG Portable Network Graphics

A PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a lossless raster image format. Every modern OS, browser, and image app opens PNGs natively - just double-click. The most common questions are not about…

Open .PNG details →

Quality & what to watch

  • Georeferencing is lost: ECW embeds projection and coordinate data that PNG cannot store - use GeoTIFF if map coordinates must be preserved.
  • ECW is already lossy (typically 15:1 or higher compression); converting to lossless PNG does not recover lost detail - it losslessly stores the already-degraded pixels.
  • A large aerial ECW can decompress to an enormous PNG - scale down before converting if you only need a preview.

Frequently asked questions

Will the PNG be lossless?
Yes, PNG uses lossless compression - but the ECW source was already lossy, so the PNG stores the already-degraded pixels without adding further quality loss.
How do I preserve georeferencing when converting ECW?
Convert to GeoTIFF instead - it is the standard portable format for geospatial raster data and retains projection and coordinate information.
Why is the PNG so large compared to the ECW?
ECW uses aggressive wavelet compression (often 15:1 or more). PNG stores every pixel losslessly, so the file is much larger.