How do I open a PSD file without Photoshop?

Photopea, a free browser-based editor, opens PSD files with layers intact and requires no installation. GIMP does the same as an installed application on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Can GIMP open PSD files with layers?

Yes. GIMP preserves the layer structure, though some Photoshop-specific features such as certain adjustment layers, smart objects and layer effects are flattened or approximated on import.

How do I convert a PSD to JPG or PNG?

Open the file in GIMP or Photopea and use Export As, choosing JPEG or PNG. Keep the original PSD, because exporting discards every layer permanently.

File extensions

How to open a .psd file

Photoshop document · Image / layered

A .psd file is a layered Photoshop document. GIMP and Photopea open it for free with layers intact, and Photopea runs in a browser with nothing to install.

What a .psd file actually is

PSD is Adobe's working format for Photoshop. Unlike a JPEG or PNG it keeps every layer, mask, adjustment and text object editable, which is why it is what designers hand over when work is meant to continue.

It is also why the file is so large and why viewing it is a different problem from editing it: all that structure has to be interpreted, not just decoded.

Why it will not open

No operating system opens PSD natively and Photoshop is a paid subscription. Simple image viewers may show a flattened preview if the file contains one, and show nothing at all if it does not.

Renaming it to an extension you can open will not help: changing the extension does not convert the file, it only changes what Windows tries to open it with.

Step by step

Windows

01Free and immediate: go to photopea.com, a browser-based editor that opens PSD files with layers. Files stay in your browser rather than being uploaded.
02Free and installed: GIMP opens PSD and preserves most layers, though some adjustment layers and effects get flattened.
03To view rather than edit, IrfanView and XnView MP display PSD files quickly.
04To get a flat image out, open it in GIMP and use File, Export As, choosing PNG or JPEG.

macOS

01Preview displays a flattened version of most PSD files, enough to see what the design looks like.
02For layer access, install GIMP or use Photopea in a browser.

What usually goes wrong

Layers are the whole point

Anything that gives you a flat image has thrown away what makes a PSD useful. If someone sent you a PSD they almost certainly meant for you to edit it, so use a tool that keeps the layers rather than exporting a PNG straight away.

PSB is the same thing, bigger

Files above 2 GB or 30,000 pixels use the .psb extension instead. GIMP and Photopea handle those too.

Programs that open .psd

Our pick, in order. Every one links to the publisher's official download URL and the SHA-256 hash of the installer. Once you have downloaded it, you can check the file against our index before you run it.

If you end up downloading one of these from somewhere other than the publisher, what you can and cannot verify about that is worth two minutes.

Also registers .psd in its manifest

Taken straight from publisher manifests. Some of these handle the format for a narrow purpose rather than as their main job.

LibreOfficev26.2.5.2 · 3 hashed installers100

Common questions

How do I open a PSD file without Photoshop?: Photopea, a free browser-based editor, opens PSD files with layers intact and requires no installation. GIMP does the same as an installed application on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Can GIMP open PSD files with layers?: Yes. GIMP preserves the layer structure, though some Photoshop-specific features such as certain adjustment layers, smart objects and layer effects are flattened or approximated on import.
How do I convert a PSD to JPG or PNG?: Open the file in GIMP or Photopea and use Export As, choosing JPEG or PNG. Keep the original PSD, because exporting discards every layer permanently.