How to view a .PICTCLIPPING file online
No app, no account, no upload.
Open your .PICTCLIPPING
Drag a .PICTCLIPPING file onto the viewer, paste one with Ctrl+V, or choose it from your device.
View and inspect
Zoom in close, pan around, rotate or flip it, and read the exact color of any pixel.
Save a copy
Download it as PNG, JPG or WEBP with your rotation applied, at the quality you choose.
What is a .PICTCLIPPING file?
Everything worth knowing about macOS Picture Clipping.
A .pictclipping file is an image snippet macOS saves when you drag a picture out of an app onto the Desktop or a Finder window. On a Mac, press Space to preview it with Quick Look, or drag it into Preview to export the image as PNG, JPEG, or TIFF. On Windows and Linux the file cannot be opened natively; it is a macOS-only format.
Programs that open .PICTCLIPPING files
- macOS
- GraphicConverter, Any app (drag-to-paste), Finder / Quick Look, Preview (drag-in)
| Full name | macOS Picture Clipping |
|---|---|
| Developer | Apple Inc. |
| First released | Classic Mac OS clippings since System 7.5 (1994); the .pictclipping extension form on Mac OS X / macOS |
| Category | Images |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream |
Related tools
More free tools for working with images.
Frequently asked questions
Is my .PICTCLIPPING file uploaded to a server?
No. The viewer decodes your .PICTCLIPPING file with your browser's own image engine. Closing the tab removes it completely.
How do I open PSD, TIFF, RAW or HEIC files?
HEIC and HEIF (iPhone photos) open right here — we decode them with libheif. PSD, TIFF, JPEG 2000, camera RAW, HDR and texture files have their own viewers, linked above; the Image Viewer sends you to the right one automatically.
What does the Photo details panel show?
The EXIF data your camera or phone saved in the photo: camera and lens, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, the date it was taken and, if location was on, where. Files you save from this viewer don't include this data, which is handy when you share photos.
Is there a file size limit?
There's no fixed limit; it depends on available memory. Very large images (over 40 megapixels) are previewed at reduced resolution so the viewer stays fast, but the reported dimensions are always the original ones.
How does the color picker work?
Point at any pixel to see its HEX and RGB value with a magnified view of the surrounding pixels. Click to copy the HEX code and save it to your palette.
Should I save as PNG, JPG or WEBP?
PNG keeps every pixel and transparency, which is best for screenshots and graphics. JPG makes photos small. WEBP is usually the smallest of all and works in every modern browser.
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