PNG to PPM Converter
Export PNGs as Netpbm files — binary or ASCII PPM, grayscale PGM, 1-bit PBM, or PAM with alpha — the simplest image formats to read from your own code.
PNG to PPM Converter
🔒 Processed on your device with the browser's own image engine — nothing is uploaded, and re-encoding strips EXIF metadata such as GPS location.
Drop files on the left — or tap a sample above.
- PNGLossless (Deflate) · 1–16 bits per channel, palette or true colour · alpha: Full 8-bit alpha
- PPM / PGM / PBMNone (binary or ASCII text) · 1-bit (PBM), gray (PGM) or RGB (PPM), up to 16 bits per sample · alpha: Only in PAM (P7)
- TipChoose P3 (ASCII) when you want to inspect or hand-edit pixel values in a text editor; it's about 3–4× larger than binary P6.
- PrivacyFiles never leave your device; re-encoding drops EXIF/GPS metadata.
Format facts checked October 2026.
Runs in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded or stored.
Scratchpad auto-saved
How it works — in four simple steps
No signup and nothing to install — it all runs in your browser.
Add PNG files
Drop, choose or paste them — or press the sample preset above.
Set the PPM / PGM / PBM options
Choose P3 (ASCII) when you want to inspect or hand-edit pixel values in a text editor; it's about 3–4× larger than binary P6.
Convert
Press Convert — results appear with a before/after slider, sizes and format details.
Download
Save each file or everything as a ZIP.
Choose P3 (ASCII) when you want to inspect or hand-edit pixel values in a text editor; it's about 3–4× larger than binary P6.
Features
Every Netpbm flavour
Binary or ASCII PPM, grayscale PGM, 1-bit PBM, or PAM with alpha.
Batch + before/after
Convert many files at once, compare with the slider, download individually or as a ZIP.
Nothing uploaded
Decoding and encoding run in your browser tab; the files never leave your device.
About the PNG to PPM Converter
Netpbm is the go-to format when you write your own image code: parsing a PPM takes a dozen lines in C, Python or Rust. Students, computer-vision researchers and embedded developers convert PNGs to PPM/PGM to load test images without an image library.
The PNG is decoded by your browser, alpha included.
The file is written by our own Netpbm encoder: binary P6 (PPM), P5 (PGM, luminance from Rec. 601 weights), P4 (PBM, packed bits, 1 = black) or P7 (PAM with RGB_ALPHA), or the plain-text P3 variant with lines kept under 70 characters as the specification recommends.
PNG vs PPM / PGM / PBM compared
| Property | PNG | PPM / PGM / PBM |
|---|---|---|
| Origin / standard | W3C 1996 · ISO/IEC 15948 | Netpbm (Jef Poskanzer, 1988) |
| Compression | Lossless (Deflate) | None (binary or ASCII text) |
| Transparency | Full 8-bit alpha | Only in PAM (P7) |
| Colour depth | 1–16 bits per channel, palette or true colour | 1-bit (PBM), gray (PGM) or RGB (PPM), up to 16 bits per sample |
| Animation / pages | APNG extension | No |
| Maximum size | 2³¹ − 1 px (practically memory-bound) | No fixed limit |
| Typical use | Screenshots, UI, logos, web graphics | Computer vision, graphics courses, scientific tools |
| Opens in | Everything | GIMP, ImageMagick, IrfanView, Photoshop — not browsers |
Measured on our sample
What this page produced from its built-in sample (a 960 × 640 PNG), with each preset:
| Setting | Input | Output | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default settings | 557.0 KB · 960 × 640 | 1.76 MB · 960 × 640 | binary PPM |
| PGM grayscale | 557.0 KB · 960 × 640 | 600.0 KB · 960 × 640 | binary PGM (grayscale) Saved as PGM — this browser can't encode PPM. |
Measured with this page’s converter in Chromium (October 2026). Press the sample preset above to reproduce; your own images will differ with their content.
Things to know
- No transparency in PPM. PPM, PGM and PBM can't store alpha, so transparent areas are filled with the background colour. Use PAM to keep alpha.
- Large files. Binary PPM stores 3 bytes per pixel with no compression: a 1000 × 1000 image is about 3 MB.