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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.

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.

The app says the PNG is invalid ("not a PNG file", "bad signature")

A real PNG always starts with the bytes 89 50 4E 47. Many websites serve WebP or JPEG images under a .png name, and truncated downloads fail the same way.

  1. Check the real type with our header analyzer.
  2. Save the image again, using "Save image as", and compare the size.
  3. Convert it to PNG with our in-browser converter if it turns out to be WebP or JPG.

Still can’t open your .PNG file?

Repair a damaged .PNG file

If the file opens with errors or not at all, a dedicated repair tool can often rebuild it. Work on a copy and keep the original file untouched.

Wondershare Repairit (Files and Photos)

Repairs damaged Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF and ZIP files as well as corrupt photos.

Recover a deleted or lost .PNG 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.

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Security note

Avoid opening PNG files from untrusted sources.

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