18 Best BMP to JPG Converters in 2026 (Free and Paid)

BMP is the format Windows used in the 1990s for everything — wallpapers, screenshots, clip art, application icons. It is lossless, uncompressed by default, and produces files enormous relative to the image content (a 1920×1080 BMP is around 6 MB; the equivalent JPG is 200–500 KB). Most people who want to convert BMP to JPG are either dealing with legacy files (old archive, old game asset folder, old scanner output) or have screenshotted into MS Paint without realizing it defaulted to BMP. Either way, JPG is a much more practical format for sharing. This guide compares 18 BMP to JPG converters in 2026.

How to Convert is listed first because it is made by the same indie developer who writes this blog. BMP → JPG is also the easiest conversion category in this whole series — every tool handles BMP input, the format has no unusual quirks, and the only real choice is the output quality.

Quick Picks for BMP → JPG

• One file, easiest: the OS built-in. Preview on Mac, Paint or Photos on Windows.
• A folder of files: ImageMagick, XnConvert, or IrfanView.
• You want a quality preview: Squoosh.
• Old scans or archive files that may be private: stay local. The web converters are fine for everyday BMPs.

One-shot: BMP to JPG converter.

1. How to Convert

Drop BMPs in, pick JPG, set quality, hit convert. Useful when you have a folder of legacy BMPs to convert without uploading them.

Pricing

• One-time license; free trial.

2. ImageMagick

Single file:

magick input.bmp -quality 92 output.jpg

Folder:

for f in *.bmp; do magick "$f" -quality 92 "${f%.bmp}.jpg"; done

Pricing

• Free, open source.

3. macOS Preview + sips

Preview opens BMP. File → Export → JPEG, quality slider, save.

CLI:

sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions 92 input.bmp --out output.jpg

Pricing

• Free with macOS.

4. Windows Paint and Photos

Both read BMP natively (Paint is what created most BMPs in the first place). File → Save As → JPEG. Done.

Pricing

• Free with Windows.

5. XnConvert

Batch BMP → JPG with quality control. Cross-platform.

Pricing

• Free for personal use.

6. IrfanView

Windows-only. Best free Windows batch converter for legacy BMPs. File → Batch Conversion/Rename → output JPEG.

Pricing

• Free for personal use.

7. Squoosh

Browser converter with quality preview. Files stay client-side. Good for one-off BMPs where you want to see the quality tradeoff.

Pricing

• Free.

8. GIMP

Open BMP, File → Export As → .jpg with detailed JPG options.

Pricing

• Free, open source.

9. Pixelmator Pro

Mac-native. Live JPG export preview.

Pricing

• One-time purchase.

10. Photopea

Browser editor for one-off BMP → JPG with editing in between.

Pricing

• Free with ads; paid premium.

11. FastStone Image Viewer

Free Windows viewer with batch BMP → JPG. Less intimidating than IrfanView.

Pricing

• Free for personal use.

12. FFmpeg

One-liner:

ffmpeg -i input.bmp -q:v 2 output.jpg

Useful inside an FFmpeg pipeline.

Pricing

• Free, open source.

13. Adobe Photoshop

File → Save As → JPEG. Overkill for BMP → JPG.

Pricing

• Subscription.

14. Affinity Photo

Export Persona → JPG. Photoshop alternative with one-time pricing.

Pricing

• One-time purchase.

15. CloudConvert

Web BMP → JPG with quality control.

Pricing

• Free tier; paid above.

16. Convertio

Web converter, clean UI.

Pricing

• Free with caps; paid above.

17. Zamzar

Long-running web converter. Slower; same model.

Pricing

• Free with daily limits; paid above.

18. FreeConvert

Web BMP → JPG with quality slider.

Pricing

• Free with caps; paid above.

How to Choose

• One file: the OS built-in.
• A folder of legacy BMPs: ImageMagick, XnConvert, or IrfanView.
• Want a quality preview: Squoosh.
• Sensitive content: stay local. Most BMPs people convert are mundane, but if it is a scan or screenshot of something private, the web converters upload it.

Final Thoughts

BMP → JPG is one of the boring conversions, in the best way — every tool does it well. The only real choice is quality, and quality 92 is the safe default. The file size win is huge (a 6 MB BMP becomes a 300 KB JPG), which is most of why anyone does this conversion. For legacy archives, scripting ImageMagick over the whole folder is the cleanest path.