.bmp File — Bitmap Image

BMP (Bitmap) is a raster image format native to the Windows operating system, developed by Microsoft. BMP files store pixel data in an uncompressed or minimally compressed format, resulting in very large file sizes but perfect image quality with no compression artifacts. The format stores a file header, information header (defining dimensions, bit depth, and color table), and the raw pixel data in a bottom-up row order. BMP supports 1-bit monochrome through 32-bit color with alpha channel, though 24-bit (16.7 million colors) is most common. Optional RLE (Run-Length Encoding) compression is available for 4-bit and 8-bit images but is rarely used. BMP's simplicity makes it easy to read and write programmatically, which is why it's commonly used in Windows API programming, embedded systems, and educational contexts for learning about image processing. The format lacks features like metadata, color management, and transparency (in most implementations), and its large file sizes make it impractical for web use or storage-constrained applications.