XCF File Format (.xcf)

An XCF file is the working document format GIMP saves to, keeping an image's layers, layer masks, channels and paths independently editable instead of merging them into one picture.

.xcfImage Files

XCF at a glance#

Full name	eXperimental Computing Facility
File extension	.xcf
Category	Image Files
Developer	GIMP development team
First released	1997
MIME types	image/x-xcf
Compression	Lossless
Specification	GIMP XCF file format documentation
FileFlip support	FileFlip reads this format but does not write it

What a .xcf file can hold#

These are the things a XCF file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.

Transparency (alpha channel)	Yes
Layers	Yes
Lossless compression	Yes
Embedded metadata	Yes
Colour profiles	Yes
High dynamic range	Yes
Selectable text	Yes

Strengths and limitations of XCF#

What XCF does well

Keeps every layer, layer mask, channel and path independently editable rather than merged into one image
Since GIMP 2.10, supports bit depths up to 32-bit floating point per channel for high-precision and HDR work
GIMP's own compressed variants, .xcf.gz, .xcf.bz2 and .xcf.xz, shrink a project file without changing anything GIMP reads

Where XCF falls short

GIMP's own developers advise against using XCF for long-term archiving or interchange, recommending the OpenRaster format instead
Third-party support is thin: Photoshop, Affinity Photo and Krita don't open XCF natively, unlike PSD's broader support elsewhere
A file saved with newer features such as layer groups won't open in GIMP versions from before 2.7

Keep a project as XCF while it's still being edited in GIMP, so layers, masks and paths stay available for later changes.

Convert XCF to PNG or JPEG once the image is finished and needs to be viewed or shared outside GIMP, since almost nothing else reads the layered file.

How to open a .xcf file#

A .xcf file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts XCF into a format your machine already opens, and it does it in the browser tab rather than on a server.

Platform	Programs that open it
Windows	GIMP
macOS	GIMP, Seashore
Linux	GIMP, CinePaint
Web	Photopea, FileFlip

XCF questions people ask#

Can Photoshop open XCF files?

No, Photoshop doesn't support XCF natively. GIMP itself is the only editor with full-fidelity support, though the browser-based Photopea can open XCF files with much of their layer structure intact.

What happens to my layers when I export XCF to PNG or JPEG?

Exporting an XCF file to PNG or JPEG merges every layer into one flat image, bakes layer masks and channels permanently into the pixels, and rasterizes any text so it can no longer be edited. Paths and guides are dropped entirely, since neither format has anywhere to store them.

Why won't GIMP open my old XCF file, or an old GIMP open a new one?

XCF's structure has changed across GIMP versions: layer groups, added in GIMP 2.7, won't open in GIMP 2.6 or earlier, and a text layer created in modern GIMP degrades to a flat rasterized layer if opened in GIMP 1.2. Saving from a newer GIMP generally isn't safe to assume an older GIMP can read.

What's the difference between XCF and OpenRaster?

XCF is GIMP's own internal working format, built to mirror GIMP's internal engine and prone to changing between versions, while OpenRaster (.ora) is a format GIMP helped develop jointly with Krita specifically for interchange between different programs. GIMP's own documentation recommends OpenRaster over XCF when a layered file needs to move between tools or be archived long-term.

Converting XCF files#

FileFlip does not write .xcf files, so nothing on the site converts into this format. It works as a source only.

Every conversion runs inside your browser. The file is read from your disk, the work happens on your own machine, and nothing is uploaded. How FileFlip works names the engine behind each family and how to verify that for yourself.