A Portable Network Graphics (PNG) file is a type of image file that supports lossless compression, meaning that image quality isn’t sacrificed when the file is compressed. They are typically used for web graphics, because they can be compressed to small file sizes without losing too much in terms of detail or clarity.
There are a few different ways to open a PNG image in Windows. The easiest way is to double-click the file in File Explorer. This will open the image in the default image viewer of your system. You can also right-click the file and select “Open With” then select a program from the list to use to view the image.
If you don’t have an image viewer installed on your computer, you can download one. Popular programs include Paint 3D, IrfanView, GIMP, and Photoscape. Once you’ve installed one of these programs, you can open the PNG image by double-clicking it, or by launching the program first and using its File menu to open the image.
In some versions of Windows, you can also preview the image without opening any additional software. To do this, select the image in File Explorer and hit the spacebar. This will bring up a preview window with a large version of the image.
If you want to share the image with someone but don’t want them to be able to edit it, you can convert the file to a different type. To do this, you’ll need to use an image converter tool. You can find free online tools that can handle this task, or you can use premium software like Adobe Photoshop or Corel Draw.
No matter which method you choose, once you open a PNG image in Windows, you can make basic edits to adjust brightness, contrast, add text, or crop the photo. Note that if you save the edited file, it will no longer be a PNG—it will likely be a JPEG or another type of image file.