Tips to open PCX file

Can't open the PCX file? You are not the only one. Thousands of users face similar problems every day. Below you will find tips on how to open PCX files as well as a list of programs that support PCX files.

PCX file extension

File Name Paintbrush Bitmap Image Format
File Developer ZSoft
File Category Raster Image Files

The PCX file is supported on 3 operating systems. Depending on your operating system, you may need different software to handle the PCX files. Below is a summary of the number of programs that support and open the PCX file on each system platform.

Operating systems
  • 8
  • 4
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

What is PCX file?

The file in the PCX format belongs to the Raster Image Files category. The creator of this file is ZSoft. Raster Image Files consists of 522 similar files. Paintbrush Bitmap Image Format is most often found on 3 operating systems. Although it can be found with greater or lesser success on any operating system, it will only be useful on Linux, Mac OS, Windows. The main program that supports this format is Adobe Photoshop. This was created by Adobe Systems Incorporated. There are also 18 alternative programs to handle the PCX file. You can use ACDSee, Adobe Illustrator, PaintShop Pro, Canvas in case Adobe Photoshop cannot be used.

How to open PCX file?

The main problem with Paintbrush Bitmap Image Format is that the PCX file is incorrectly associated with programs. This causes the file PCX to open by system applications not designed for this purpose, or to display a message that there is no associated program. This problem can be easily remedied.

The first thing you should do is just "doubleclick" on the PCX file icon you want to open. If the operating system has an appropriate application to support it and there is also an association between the file and the program, the file should be opened.

Step 1. Install Adobe Photoshop

The first step is to check if the computer has the Adobe Photoshop program installed. The easiest method is to use the system search engine by entering the program name Adobe Photoshop in it. In the absence of an appropriate program, its installation in the vast majority of cases will fix the problem. Below you will find a list of applications that support PCX files.

Step 2. Create association of Adobe Photoshop with PCX files

If the application is or has been freshly installed, but the PCX file still does not use the Adobe Photoshop program, it means no association. This option is available from the level of Properties of a specific file available in the context menu. The window will show, among other things, the type of the file and the information by which the program is used to launch the file. Changes can be made using the "Change" button. It may happen that in the next window there will be no appropriate program - however, this can be corrected with the "Browse" option where you should manually indicate the program location. The "always use the selected program ..." field will set the Adobe Photoshop application as the default for handling the PCX file.

Step 3. Update Adobe Photoshop to the latest version

The fault may also lie with the Adobe Photoshop program, it is possible that Paintbrush Bitmap Image Format requires a newer version of the program. This can be done using the application (if it provides such options) or from the Adobe Systems Incorporated website and install the latest version.

Step 4. Check for the following problems with the PCX file

If the above steps do not help, you can assume that the file itself is not correct. This could be due to the file itself, the cleanest issues are:

The affected file may be 0 KB or smaller than expected. Usually this applies to PCX files downloaded from the Internet in case the download did not finish properly. The file should be downloaded again, making sure that the process has finished correctly.
The computer may have fallen victim to a computer virus or hacker. A virus scan using an up-to-date antivirus program should fix the problem. Some antivirus vendors also provide free online scanners. For the best results, we will scan the entire operating system, not just our PCX file. Sometimes virus-infected PCX files cannot be recovered, so make a backup in advance.
This can happen especially when the program is dynamically developed and the structure of the PCX files changes over time. These problems are known and are often very easy to fix using the software developers's website.
There can be many reasons for the failure. Repairing is very dependent on the file type. Some programs offer the option of recovering data from damaged PCX files. The easiest way to restore the file is from a backup or by contacting ZSoft, but this one can be expensive. Not all damage can be reversed.
The program indicates that the file is encrypted or corrupted. The encrypted PCX files cannot be played on other computers than the one on which they were encrypted, they must be decrypted before using on another device.
The operating system protects files in some locations (e.g. the root of the system partition) against unauthorized access. While there is usually no problem reading such a file, it may not be possible to save it. If possible, you can try to move the PCX file to another location.
This problem only occurs with more complex files. In this case, the PCX file is blocked by the first application to open it. Closing other programs should help. If the error persists after closing other programs, wait for a while. However, some background programs may block the PCX file while scanning. If the problem persists, restart the machine.