Image to XPM Converter — Free Online Tool
Convert any image to XPM format instantly — no signup, no watermarks, processed in your browser.
Image to XPM Converter
Convert images to the XPM (X PixMap) format — text-based color image format used in X11 themes and old desktop icons.
XPM (X PixMap) was developed at INRIA in 1989 as the color successor to XBM. Like its predecessor, the file is plain C source code, but instead of 1-bit it supports indexed color with named palettes. XPM was the default icon format for fvwm, twm, CDE, and other X Window managers throughout the 1990s.
In 2026, XPM still has its niche: Linux desktop theming for retro environments (Window Maker, IceWM, JWM), terminal emulator icon sets, and developers maintaining legacy applications from the GIMP-era of open-source software. It's also the format some Tcl/Tk applications still load natively without external libraries.
This converter accepts PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP and produces XPM with up to 256 colors using an optimized color quantization algorithm. A 32x32 icon typically produces a 4-8 KB XPM file. Output is human-readable — you can open it in any text editor, tweak the color palette, and recompile.