XCF File (What It Is & How to Open One) GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Software & Apps > File Types 53 53 people found this article helpful

What Is an XCF File?

How to open, edit, & convert XCF files

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 9, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email File Types File Types Apps Windows MS Office Linux Google Drive Backup & Utilities Design Cryptocurrency

What to Know

An XCF file is a GIMP image file.Open one with GIMP, Inkscape, or Photopea.Convert to JPG, PNG, PSD, etc., with those same programs. This article details what XCF files are, including how to open one and how to convert one to a different format.

What Is an XCF File

A file with the XCF file extension, which stands for eXperimental Computing Facility, is a GIMP image file. Much like PSD files used in Adobe Photoshop, GIMP uses XCF files to store layers, transparency settings, paths, and other information associated with one or more photos that are a part of the same project. When the file is opened in a compatible image editor, all those settings are accessible again so that you can edit the layers, images, etc.

How to Open an XCF File

XCF files, if it's not obvious already, are best opened by GIMP, the very popular (and free) image editing tool. XCF files created from any version of GIMP can be opened with the latest version.
IrfanView, XnView, Inkscape, Paint.NET, CinePaint, digiKam, Krita, Seashore, and several other image editors/viewers also work with XCF files. Photopea is your next best option if you don't want to download anything to your computer. It's a full image editor that works right there in your browser, so it runs on any operating system. If you find that an application on your PC does try to open the file but it's the wrong application or you'd rather have another installed program open it, see our How to Change File Associations in Windows guide for making that change.

How to Convert an XCF File

GIMP saves files to this format by default, but you can use the File > Export menu to save it as something else, like a JPG or PNG. You can also use a free image file converter like Zamzar to convert the file to PDF, GIF, AI, TGA, WEBP, TIFF, and other similar file formats. ConvertImage.net is a similar website that supports the conversion of XCF to PSD. The same image editors listed above are also most likely capable of exporting the file to another image format. Photopea, for example, can download an XCF file back to your computer as a PSD, SVG, PDF, TIFF, ICO, or RAW file, among several others.

Still Can' t Open the File

If none of the programs above will open your file, there's a good chance that you're misreading the file extension. When that happens, you end up trying to open a file in a program that doesn't support it. This is easy to do if the file shares a similar file extension to XCF. For example, maybe you're confusing a CVX, XCU (OpenOffice.org Configuration), CXF, CFXR (Cocoa Sfxr), XFDF, XFDL, or XDF (Microsoft Machine Learning Server Data) file with an XCF file. Even though some of those files share a couple of the same letters in the file extension, none of them open with GIMP like XCF files do. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire ARW File (What It Is & How to Open One) HQX File (What It Is and How to Open One) ABR File (What It Is and How to Open One) PAT File (What It Is and How to Open One) PCT File (What It Is & How to Open One) TGA File (What It Is and How to Open One) GRD File (What It Is & How to Open One) SVG Files: What They Are and How to Open & Convert Them PCX File (What It Is and How to Open One) PDD File (What It Is and How to Open One) TEX File (What It Is and How to Open One) ACV File (What It Is & How to Open One) PSP File (What It Is & How to Open One) WPD File (What It Is & How to Open One) PBM File (What It Is & How to Open One) What Is a Gerber (GBR) File & How Do You Open One? Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies