PCX to SVGZ Converter
Processing entirely on your device — large files may take a moment.
PCX was THE DOS-era image format: ZSoft Paintbrush's RLE-compressed raster that every 1990s game, scanner and clipart CD shipped in. Simple enough that its spec fits on one page. Convert SVGZ exactly like SVG — the converter inflates it first — or gzip an SVG back into SVGZ for shipping.
iLoveConverter processes everything locally on your computer, which makes it private and fast: no upload wait, no server storage, no limits. Add as many files as you like — batch conversion is built in.
How PCX compares to SVGZ
| PCX | SVGZ | |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 128B header + RLE rows + 769B palette | gzip-wrapped SVG (XML) |
| Types / schema | 1/4/8-bit paletted, 24-bit RGB | Vector XML, DEFLATE compressed |
| Compatibility | DOS era, GIMP, ImageMagick | All browsers (via header), Inkscape |
| Best for | Retro game and clipart archives | Deploying vector assets on the web |
How to convert PCX to SVGZ
- 1
Select your files
Drag & drop your PCX files onto the area above, or click to browse. You can add multiple files at once for batch conversion.
- 2
Convert instantly
Click "Convert to SVGZ". The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly — no upload, no queue, no waiting.
- 3
Download results
Download each converted SVGZ file individually, or grab everything at once as a ZIP archive.
About the PCX format
PCX was the image format of the DOS decade: ZSoft Paintbrush's run-length-encoded raster that every scanner, game and clipart CD adopted because it was published, simple and fast on 286 hardware. The header is a fixed 128 bytes, the palette hides in the final 769, and the whole file can be decoded by one while-loop.
Retro gaming archives and 90s clipart collections are full of PCX files. Converting them to PNG or JPG finally makes them viewable — the pixels were always fine, the container was just ancient.
+ Strengths
- ✓Decoded by a single RLE loop — no dependencies
- ✓Ubiquitous in DOS-era archives
- ✓Supports paletted and 24-bit variants
! Limitations
- −Effectively dead since Windows 95
- −Rows padded — some files have alignment quirks
- −256-color ceiling for most real-world files
About the SVGZ format
SVGZ is what every SVG is on a well-configured server: the same XML vector content run through gzip. XML compresses spectacularly, so an SVGZ is typically 70-80% smaller than the SVG it came from — which is why Apache and nginx can serve it transparently with a Content-Encoding header.
Converting SVGZ to PNG or JPG simply inflates it first — the vector content is byte-identical to its SVG parent. The other direction (vectorize a raster, then gzip) produces a deploy-ready compressed asset.
+ Strengths
- ✓70-80% smaller than the same SVG
- ✓Transparent to browsers via Content-Encoding
- ✓Full SVG vector fidelity
! Limitations
- −Some tools refuse the double extension
- −Needs gunzip before hand-editing
- −MIME confusion on misconfigured servers
Why convert PCX to SVGZ?
There is a concrete reason this conversion exists: Effectively dead since Windows 95 SVGZ sidesteps that — 70-80% smaller than the same SVG If that is your situation, the tool above settles it in seconds, entirely on your device.
Frequently asked questions
Is this PCX to SVGZ converter really free?
Yes — completely free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no daily conversion limits. The site is supported by advertising.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly, so your files never leave your device — that is what makes it instant and private.
Does it work on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android?
Yes. Anything with a modern browser works: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. No software installation is required.
Will I lose quality converting PCX to SVGZ?
No — SVGZ is a lossless format, so every pixel of the converted image matches your original PCX file. You can also adjust the quality/size balance before converting when the target format supports compression.
Will transparent areas survive the conversion to SVGZ?
Transparency is kept whenever SVGZ actually supports an alpha channel. If the target format has none (like JPG), transparent areas are flattened onto a white background — that is a property of the format, not of this tool.
What happens to EXIF data and other metadata?
Conversions here re-encode the image, and re-encoding generally does not carry the original metadata over. If the EXIF data of your PCX files matters (camera model, GPS, timestamps), keep the original file as the master and treat the converted copy as the shareable version.