.. meta:: :description: The Bitmap file format. .. metadata-placeholder :authors: - Wolthera van Hövell tot Westerflier :license: GNU free documentation license 1.3 or later. .. index:: *.bmp, BMP, Bitmap Fileformat .. _file_bmp: ====== \*.bmp ====== ``.bmp``, or Bitmap, is the simplest raster file format out there, and, being patent-free, most programs can open and save bitmap files. However, most programs don't compress bitmap files, leading to BMP having a reputation for being very heavy. If you need a lossless file format, we actually recommend :ref:`file_png`.