What is a .xcf file?
GIMP Native Image (eXperimental Computing Facility) · Design · GIMP Development Team · 1995
XCF is GIMP's native project format, the free-software counterpart to Photoshop's PSD. It preserves every layer, mask and channel of an in-progress image so you can reopen a project exactly as you left it, at the cost of only really opening in GIMP itself.
What is a .xcf file used for?
An XCF keeps a GIMP project's full editing state: layers, layer masks, channels, paths, guides and selections, so work in progress survives being closed and reopened without flattening.
The name nods to the format's origin at the Experimental Computing Facility, a student-run computing club at UC Berkeley where GIMP's original authors began the project in 1995.
Because it is meant purely as GIMP's own working file, almost no other program reads XCF directly. When a design is finished, you export a flat PNG, JPG or PSD from it for sharing or use elsewhere.
GIMP can open a Photoshop PSD directly and, since GIMP 2.10, export back to PSD too, which is the practical bridge when you need to hand a layered file to someone using Photoshop instead.
How to open a .xcf file
The .xcf format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.
Windows
- GIMP
macOS
- GIMP
Linux
- GIMP
Web
- Not applicable; open in GIMP
How to convert a .xcf file
You can convert a .xcf file to PNG, JPG, PSD using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
.xcf file signature (magic bytes)
Programs recognise a .xcf file by the bytes at the start of the file, not by its name. These are the signatures for XCF. For a full breakdown, see the XCF file signature page.
| Hex signature | Offset | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 67 69 6D 70 20 78 63 66 20 | 0 | 'gimp xcf ' followed by a version tag such as 'file' or 'v011' |
See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .xcf file?
XCF is GIMP's native project format, the free-software counterpart to Photoshop's PSD. It preserves every layer, mask and channel of an in-progress image so you can reopen a project exactly as you left it, at the cost of only really opening in GIMP itself.
Can I open an XCF file without GIMP?
Not really, XCF is GIMP's own format and other editors do not read it. Install the free GIMP, or ask whoever sent it to export a PNG, JPG or PSD instead.
Can Photoshop open an XCF file?
No, Photoshop has no native XCF support. Open it in GIMP and export it to PSD, which Photoshop reads directly.
Related formats
Sources
Details on this page were checked against authoritative references: