Skip to content
Open-The-File.com

.UVI file extension

To open .UVI files on Windows, right-click the .UVI file → Open with → Choose another app.

To open a .UVI file, try an image viewer that can handle the MIME type image/vnd.dece.graphic (DECE graphic). If your default photos app won’t open it, use “Open with” on a desktop OS or move the file to a machine that has broader format support.

HomeExtension IndexImages in indexImages category page

Last updated: June 10, 2026

Open on your device

Choose your operating system for a dedicated step-by-step opening guide.

How to open .UVI files

Use these platform-specific instructions to open .UVI files safely.

Windows

  1. Right-click the .UVI file → Open with → Choose another app.
  2. If no installed app opens it, move the file to a desktop machine with more image tools available and try a different viewer/graphics tool that supports image/vnd.dece.graphic.
  3. If you’re serving it from a web server, ensure it’s sent as Content-Type: image/vnd.dece.graphic (so compatible clients can recognize it).
Full Windows guide

Mac

  1. Control-click the .UVI file → Open With → choose an available image/graphics app.
  2. If it fails with “unsupported,” try opening it on another desktop environment or toolset that supports image/vnd.dece.graphic (macOS may recognize the extension but still not render it).
Full Mac guide

Linux

  1. In your file manager, right-click → Open With and try your installed image viewers.
  2. If it doesn’t open, verify your desktop MIME database recognizes the file type and then try a different image tool; some environments map the MIME type but don’t ship a decoder.
Full Linux guide

iOS

  1. In the Files app, tap the .UVI file to try a preview; if there’s no preview/it fails, transfer the file to a desktop OS to open it with a compatible image tool.
Full iOS guide

Android

  1. Tap the .UVI file in your file manager; if no app can open it, transfer it to a desktop OS and open it there (many Android viewers won’t include a decoder for this format).
Full Android guide

Security notes

  • .UVI is an image media type (image/vnd.dece.graphic), but image decoders can still have vulnerabilities; only open files from sources you trust, especially if the viewer is older.
  • Avoid “fixing” a .UVI by renaming it to .png/.jpg; that can confuse software and lead you to open it in tools that mis-parse the content.
  • If you host .UVI files on a web server, set the correct Content-Type (image/vnd.dece.graphic) to reduce content sniffing and incorrect handling by clients.

Can't open this file?

These are the most common causes and fixes when .UVI files fail to open.

Common reasons

  • “Unsupported format” or the image won’t preview
  • File opens as a generic/binary file or the wrong app launches
  • Web server serves the file with the wrong Content-Type

Fix steps

  1. Try “Open with” and test a different image/graphics application on a desktop OS.
  2. If you received the file from someone, ask the sender what application/workflow produced it and whether they can export to a more widely supported image format.

Recover a deleted or lost .UVI file

If the file was deleted by mistake or the drive was formatted, data recovery software may be able to get it back. Stop writing to that drive right away, because new data can overwrite what you want to recover.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery

Windows software that recovers deleted or lost files from PCs and external drives such as HDDs, SSDs, USB drives and memory cards, after deletion, formatting or a crash.

Wondershare Recoverit

Windows and Mac software that recovers deleted or lost files from computers and external drives such as HDDs, SSDs, USB drives and SD cards.

We may earn a commission when you use affiliate links. This supports our free file extension guides.

OS-specific troubleshooting

What is a .UVI file?

.UVI is an extension associated with the IANA media type image/vnd.dece.graphic. It is part of the DECE (Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem) graphic family, which is also associated with extensions like .uvvi, .uvg, and .uvvg. Because support varies by software, many systems may recognize the MIME mapping but still lack a built-in decoder to display the image.

Background

The .UVI extension is formally tied to the IANA-registered image subtype image/vnd.dece.graphic, with DECE Technical Working Group listed as the change controller. This registration also covers related extensions (.uvvi, .uvg, .uvvg), which may represent closely related variants within the same family.

On many systems, file extension recognition (and web server content-type configuration) is handled via MIME mappings. For example, common server and library mappings associate .uvi with image/vnd.dece.graphic so that the correct Content-Type can be sent when the file is hosted on the web.

However, MIME recognition does not guarantee that a given photo viewer can render the file. If your OS or app doesn’t include a decoder for this format, you may see errors like “unsupported format” even though the file is correctly identified as an image type.

Common MIME types: image/vnd.dece.graphic

Further reading

Authoritative resources for more details on the .UVI format.

Common .UVI issues

“Unsupported format” or the image won’t preview

Your OS may recognize .UVI as image/vnd.dece.graphic but your viewer does not include a decoder for this specific image format/variant.

  1. Try “Open with” and test a different image/graphics application on a desktop OS.
  2. If you received the file from someone, ask the sender what application/workflow produced it and whether they can export to a more widely supported image format.

File opens as a generic/binary file or the wrong app launches

The file association may be missing or incorrect even if the extension-to-MIME mapping exists in some databases or server configurations.

  1. Manually choose an application via “Open with” rather than double-clicking.
  2. On Linux, ensure your environment’s MIME database is up to date so .uvi maps to image/vnd.dece.graphic.

Web server serves the file with the wrong Content-Type

If the server does not map .uvi to image/vnd.dece.graphic, browsers and clients may mis-handle downloads or rendering.

  1. Configure your server to send Content-Type: image/vnd.dece.graphic for .uvi (and related extensions if needed).
  2. If using Apache, confirm your mime.types / mod_mime configuration includes the mapping for uvi → image/vnd.dece.graphic.

FAQ

What MIME type is associated with .UVI?

IANA registers .uvi under the MIME type image/vnd.dece.graphic (also used with .uvvi, .uvg, and .uvvg).

Why doesn’t my Photos app open a .UVI image?

MIME/extension recognition does not guarantee decoding support. Your app may not include a decoder for the DECE graphic format even if it identifies it as an image.

Can I convert a .UVI file by just renaming the extension?

No. Renaming only changes the filename, not the underlying image encoding. Use an application that can open the file and export/save to another format.

Are .UVI and .UVG the same thing?

They are both mapped to the same IANA media type (image/vnd.dece.graphic) and are part of the same registered family of extensions, but different extensions can indicate different variants or usage contexts.

Similar file extensions

Compare related formats in the same category to find the right tool faster.

Did this guide help?