How to open .PNG files on Linux

To open .PNG files on Linux, view with default image viewers like Eye of GNOME.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. View with default image viewers like Eye of GNOME.
  2. Edit using GIMP or Krita for more options.

Recommended software

  • Default Photos app
  • Browser preview
  • GIMP

Alternative methods

  • Open .PNG in a browser-based viewer if desktop apps fail.
  • Try opening .PNG on Linux with a secondary app to rule out app-specific issues.
  • Convert .PNG only with trusted tools when direct opening is not possible.

Common issues

Large file size for detailed images

PNG's lossless compression can result in large file sizes for complex images.

  1. Use tools like pngquant to compress the file.
  2. Convert to JPEG or WebP if transparency is not needed.

Transparency issues in some viewers

Some older viewers may not display PNG transparency correctly.

  1. Update the image viewer or use a modern browser.
  2. Convert the image to a supported format if necessary.

Security note

Avoid opening PNG files from untrusted sources.

Back to .PNG extension page