XWD to SIXEL Converter

Convert XWD images to SIXEL format quickly and easily online

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Effortless Process

Converting XWD to SIXEL takes just a few clicks — no technical knowledge required. Upload, choose your format, and download the result.

Modern Format Output

SIXEL provides raster graphics format for text terminals — a significant upgrade over the legacy XWD format for everyday image use and sharing.

No Install Required

The entire XWD to SIXEL conversion happens in your browser. No plugins, no desktop apps — just upload, convert, and download.

How to convert XWD to SIXEL

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose sixel or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your sixel file right afterwards

About formats

XWD (X Window Dump) is a screen capture image format defined as part of the X Window System by the MIT X Consortium, dating to approximately 1987. The xwd command-line utility captures the contents of an X window or the entire screen and saves it as an XWD file — functionally equivalent to a screenshot utility but predating the concept by years. XWD files contain a detailed header specifying the X server's visual type, bit depth, byte order, bitmap unit and padding, the window's dimensions, border width, and color map information, followed by the raw pixel data exactly as represented in the X server's framebuffer. This means XWD files faithfully capture the exact pixel representation used by the display hardware — including server-specific byte ordering, padding, and color organization — making them primarily useful on the system where they were captured or on systems with compatible display configurations. The header also stores the window name string and the full color map entries for indexed-color visuals. XWD supports all X11 visual types: StaticGray, GrayScale, StaticColor, PseudoColor, TrueColor, and DirectColor, at any bit depth supported by the X server. One advantage is exact framebuffer fidelity: XWD captures the window's pixel data in its native format without any color space conversion or compression, making it the definitive record of what the X server was actually displaying. The format's integration with the X11 command-line toolkit provides another practical benefit — xwd can capture specific windows by ID or name, be triggered remotely via SSH, and piped directly to format converters. XWD files are handled by ImageMagick, GIMP, xwud (the viewer companion to xwd), and xv.
Developer: MIT X Consortium
Initial release: 1987
SIXEL (Six Pixel) is a bitmap graphics encoding format created by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1983 for rendering images on character-cell printers and video terminals. The name derives from the encoding's fundamental unit: a column of six pixels represented by a single ASCII character. Each printable character in the sixel data stream (ASCII 63-126) encodes a 6-pixel vertical column, with the character's binary value determining which pixels are on or off. Color is specified through register-based palette control: a Select Color Sequence assigns an HLS or RGB color value to a numbered register, and subsequent sixel characters use that color until another register is selected. The encoding supports raster attributes for specifying pixel aspect ratio and image dimensions, repeat sequences (! followed by a count and character) for run-length compression of identical columns, and $ (carriage return) and - (new line) for navigating the sixel grid. DEC implemented SIXEL support in their VT240, VT241, VT330, and VT340 terminals, as well as multiple printer models. One advantage of the SIXEL encoding is its ASCII-clean nature: the data stream consists entirely of printable characters and standard control sequences, meaning SIXEL graphics can be transmitted through any text-based communication channel — serial terminals, SSH sessions, telnet connections — without requiring binary-safe transport or protocol modifications. The format's modern renaissance provides another remarkable dimension: after decades of obscurity, SIXEL support has been implemented in numerous contemporary terminal emulators, enabling inline image display in command-line workflows. SIXEL output can be generated by ImageMagick, libsixel, chafa, and various plotting libraries.
Initial release: 1983

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the reason to convert XWD to SIXEL?

XWD originated in Unix/X11 screenshots and has narrow compatibility today. SIXEL offers raster graphics format for text terminals — a far more practical choice for sharing.

What apps support SIXEL?

You can view SIXEL with xterm, mlterm, ImageMagick, libsixel tools. These tools cover all major desktop and mobile platforms.

How long does XWD to SIXEL conversion take?

Conversion is nearly instant for most XWD files. Since these are small images, the entire process — upload to download — takes only moments.

Does converting XWD to SIXEL affect quality?

The conversion preserves the visual content of your XWD image. SIXEL will reproduce the same pixel data within the limits of its format capabilities.

Does this converter work on mobile devices?

The converter is browser-based and fully responsive. Convert XWD to SIXEL from any device — desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

Is XWD to SIXEL conversion free?

Yes — Convertio offers free XWD to SIXEL conversion. Premium options exist for users who need more capacity or faster processing speeds.