Opening a DICOM File: 2 Free Viewers + Photoshop

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Open DICOM medical images on any computer with these apps and websites

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: January 20, 2024 Fact Checked

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Using Jack Imaging Beta on Windows & Mac

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Using Photoshop for Windows & Mac

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Using MicroDicom on Windows

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Video

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Tips

This wikiHow shows you how to open DICOM files on your Windows PC or macOS. DICOM files are images that come digitally from medical scans like MRIs and ultrasounds. You can view DICOM files on any computer with a free online viewer called Jack Imaging. If you'd prefer an app, you can download MicroDicom (PC only) or open the files in Adobe Photoshop (PC and Mac).

Things You Should Know

The easiest way to open a DICOM file is to go to https://beta.jackimaging.com/demo and drag your file(s) to the box.
You can also open DICOM files in Adobe Photoshop and view images frame-by-frame.
If you're using Windows, MicroDICOM is an easy-to-use free app that makes exploring your DICOM medical images simple.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Jack Imaging Beta on Windows & Mac

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Go to https://beta.jackimaging.com/demo . This viewer is available in your browser, so it will work on both PC and Mac.
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Drag your DICOM files to the "Drag and Drop Files Here" box. It's on the left side of the page. The files will then appear in a list on the right side.
- If you have an ad blocker on, the website may ask you to log in or create an account. Click Cancel to ignore the message. If you can't get past the message, consider making an account or whitelisting them on your ad blocker .
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You can click and drag the image around to pan or click the magnifying glass to zoom in and out.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Photoshop for Windows & Mac

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You can download a trial version of Adobe Photoshop or buy it for your PC or Mac.
This opens your computer's file browser.
This will display all the frames inside of your DICOM file. ^{[1]
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Select the frames you want to view. You can select multiple frames by holding ⌘ Command (Mac) or Ctrl (PC) as you click each frame.
- If you want to open all the frames, right-click or control-click the area and choose Select All .
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Select Frame Import and click Open . This opens the selected frames on different layers.
- Frame Import inserts your DICOM frames on different layers.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using MicroDicom on Windows

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1
Download the DICOM software from http://www.microdicom.com/downloads.html . Click one of the download links under "Installation package." If you need the 64-bit version , click MicroDicom DICOM Viewer 2023.3 x64 to start the download. For the 32-bit version, click MicroDicom DICOM Viewer 2023.3 x86 .
- You may have to click Save to start the download if it doesn't begin automatically.
Follow the on-screen instructions to finish setting up MicroDicom.
Once installed, you'll find it in the Start menu with the rest of your apps. When you open the app, you'll see File at the top-left.
Another window will open, showing you files on your computer.
This will open a series of images.
Alternatively, you can hold and drag your mouse across them all to highlight them.