BMP vs JPG
| Property | BMP | JPG |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bitmap image (Windows BMP / DIB) | JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) |
| File extensions | .bmp, .dib | .jpg, .jpeg, .jpe |
| Created by | Microsoft (with IBM for OS/2) | Joint Photographic Experts Group (ISO and ITU) |
| Introduced | Late 1980s | 1992 |
| Compression | Usually none: raw pixels, so files are huge | Lossy: each save throws away detail you rarely notice |
| Transparency | Only in rare 32-bit variants that few apps honour | No |
| Animation | No | No |
| Typical size | About 36 MB for a 12-megapixel photo | About 2–5 MB for a 12-megapixel phone photo |
| Opens on | Windows apps and all browsers; most upload forms reject it or choke on the size | Every phone, computer, browser, printer and upload form |
| Best for | Old Windows software, scanners and raw pixel data | Photos you share, print or upload anywhere |
Why convert BMP to JPG?
BMP files still turn up from scanners, old Windows programs, Paint, industrial cameras and medical or lab equipment. They are simple and exact but enormous: a 12-megapixel image is about 36 MB as a 24-bit BMP. Most email services, websites and chat apps either reject that or take ages to send it.
JPG is the natural replacement for photos and scans of documents. At quality 90 the image looks the same and is typically 95% smaller. If the bitmap is a screenshot, diagram or logo with flat colours and sharp text, choose PNG instead (switch the output above, or use BMP to PNG): it is lossless and still far smaller than BMP.
The browser decodes the bitmap directly, including the common 8-, 24- and 32-bit variants. Very unusual BMP types, such as some compressed OS/2 bitmaps, may not open; save them from the original program as PNG instead.