XCF to PNG Converter

Get a shareable PNG out of a GIMP project file without installing GIMP. The visible layers are merged into one image, transparent areas stay transparent, and the result opens in every browser, chat app and document editor.

or drop JPG, JPEG, JPE … files here ·

Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes

Output

Convert to

Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.

How to use this tool

1
Add the .xcf files
Drop plain .xcf project files onto the upload area or pick them from a folder. Up to 20 files per batch, 95 MB each; compressed .xcf.gz or .xcf.bz2 projects need unpacking first.
2
Keep PNG as the output
PNG is already selected. Open Advanced settings only if you want to scale the image down with Resize output image or remove metadata.
3
Convert and download
Press Convert to PNG and save each flattened image, or take a single ZIP when you added several projects.

An .xcf file is GIMP's working document, not a picture meant for sharing. Converting it to PNG merges the visible layers into one lossless image with the transparent areas kept, which is what websites, chat apps, slide decks and print shops expect.

What an XCF file stores and why nothing else opens it

XCF is short for eXperimental Computing Facility, the student group at UC Berkeley where Spencer Kimball and Peter Mattis started GIMP in 1995. The format was designed for one program: it saves every layer with its blend mode and opacity, layer masks, selection channels, paths, guides and text layers that can still be edited. Undo history is the one thing it leaves out.

That makes it a good working file and a poor delivery format. Photoshop has no XCF import, phone galleries ignore it, and upload forms reject it. Since GIMP 2.8 in 2012, Save in GIMP only writes XCF; getting a PNG requires File › Export As, which is easy to forget when you are sending a quick draft.

This page does that export for you, with no GIMP install on the computer you are using, which helps when the .xcf arrives as an email attachment on a machine you do not control.

	This converter	GIMP Export As	Generic image viewer
Opens .xcf without GIMP installed	yes	no	no
Merges visible layers into one PNG	yes	yes	no
Keeps transparent areas	yes	yes	no
Converts 20 projects in one batch	yes	Script-Fu or plug-in	no
Exact match for GIMP 3 non-destructive filters	Check the result	yes	no

XCF

GIMP image

XCF is the native file format of GIMP, the free and open-source image editor. Like PSD, it stores layers, channels, paths, selections and transparency so work can be resumed later. It is designed as a working format for GIMP rather than for exchange, so few other programs read it reliably. Browsers, phones and websites cannot display XCF files.

Compression: Lossless
Transparency: Yes
Animation: No
Introduced: GIMP team

XCF converter

PNG

Portable Network Graphics

PNG is a lossless raster format published in 1996 by the PNG Development Group and later standardised by the W3C and ISO. It keeps every pixel exactly, supports full alpha transparency and handles text, sharp edges and flat colours without artefacts. That precision makes it ideal for screenshots, logos, icons and interface graphics. The trade-off is size: photographs saved as PNG are often several times larger than the same photo as JPEG or WebP. All browsers, operating systems and editors open PNG files.

Compression: Lossless
Transparency: Yes
Animation: No
Introduced: 1996 · PNG Development Group

PNG converter

XCF to PNG is the hand-off step for GIMP users: the project stays editable at home, and the flattened PNG goes to people and apps that have never heard of GIMP's native format.

Flatten an XCF to PNG: what survives the merge

Kept in the PNG, and left behind

Kept: every visible pixel, merged in layer order
Kept: full transparency, including soft edges
Kept: canvas size, unless you resize
Left behind: separate layers and layer groups
Left behind: masks, channels, paths and guides
Left behind: text you could still retype

GIMP 2.10 and GIMP 3 projects, high bit depth and file size

GIMP 2.10, released in April 2018, let projects run at 16-bit and 32-bit precision, and GIMP 3.0 followed in March 2025 with non-destructive filters stored inside the XCF. PNG can hold up to 16 bits per channel but has no floating point mode, so 32-bit float projects are reduced to integer values on the way out. For a print master, export a 16-bit TIFF from GIMP itself.

Expect the PNG to be much smaller than the project when the XCF has many layers, because only one composite image remains. A single-layer XCF and its PNG land closer together, since both store lossless pixels. If the PNG is still too heavy for an upload form, run it through compress image or reduce the dimensions with Resize output image before converting.

XCF to PNG FAQ

Which layers end up in the PNG from an XCF file?

The layers that are visible in the project are merged, top to bottom, the way GIMP shows the canvas. Layers you switched off with the eye icon are meant to stay out. If the result looks different from GIMP, check for hidden layers and layer groups before you upload.

Can someone open the PNG back up in GIMP and move my layers?

No. A PNG holds a single image, so after flattening the text can no longer be retyped and the layers cannot be moved apart. Keep the .xcf as your working file and send the PNG as the finished copy.

Why won't Photoshop open the .xcf my friend sent?

Adobe has never added XCF support to Photoshop, and most viewers on Windows and macOS skip it too. Krita can import XCF, but for anyone who just needs to see or place the picture, a PNG is the format that works without a detour.

Is anything lost when an XCF becomes a PNG?

The pixels you see are kept losslessly, alpha included. What goes are the editing structures: layers, masks, channels, paths, guides and the text that was still editable. Projects set to 32-bit floating point precision also have to come down to an integer bit depth, because PNG has no float mode.

Should I pick JPG instead of PNG for a GIMP drawing?

Use PNG for artwork with flat colors, sharp edges or transparency. JPG suits photographs where a smaller file matters more than a transparent background; the XCF to JPG page fills transparent areas with a solid color for you.

Do I need GIMP installed to use this?

No. The project file is read on our side and only the PNG comes back, so the conversion also works on a Chromebook or a work laptop where you cannot install software. Uploads and results are deleted after 30 minutes; how it works explains the steps.