Free Online TGA Viewer (No Signup)
Also opens DWG, DXF, STEP, IGES, IFC, SKP, STL, OBJ, GLB, FBX, 3DM and other 3D/CAD files. Drop any file on the viewer.
Works directly in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
Also from Innerscene: Circadian Lab, a free lighting calculator for room illuminance, melanopic EML, and glare.
What Is a TGA File?
TGA (also called Targa) is the image format Truevision defined in 1984 for its Targa video boards. It stores a picture in true colour, in greyscale or through a colour map, plain or run-length (RLE) compressed, and it carries a full alpha channel. Version 2.0 of the format added a footer and an extension area with the author, the date, the alpha type and a small thumbnail.
Because it is simple and keeps alpha, TGA is still the usual texture format of game engines and mods, and Blender, 3ds Max, Maya, Photoshop and GIMP all read and write it. Older render software and scanners saved Targa files too, sometimes as .tpic, .icb or .vda. This viewer reads it with its own decoder, in your browser.
The picture opens at its full pixel size, with its transparency. It exports as PNG, JPG or PDF. TGA textures that come with an OBJ, FBX, COLLADA or 3DS model are decoded by the same reader and drawn on the model.
Who Uses TGA Files?
Game modders and developers looking through texture folders, 3D artists working with Blender, 3ds Max and Maya textures, and anyone with old Targa renders or scans and no image editor that opens them, on a Mac, a Chromebook, Windows or a phone.
Common Use Cases
- See a .tga texture from a game or a mod without an image editor
- Check whether a texture has an alpha channel and what it covers
- Open old Targa renders and scans
- Save a PNG or JPG of a texture for a web page, a forum post or an email
- Find out a TGA file’s pixel size, bit depth and compression
- View an OBJ, FBX, COLLADA or 3DS model with its TGA textures
Features
Every TGA Image Type
Colour-mapped, true-colour and greyscale pictures (types 1, 2 and 3), plain or RLE compressed (types 9, 10 and 11).
8 to 32 Bits per Pixel
8, 15, 16, 24 and 32-bit pixels, and colour maps with 15, 16, 24 or 32-bit entries.
Alpha Channel
Transparency from the header’s attribute bits and from the TGA 2.0 extension area, premultiplied alpha included.
Any Origin
Pictures stored from the bottom left, from the top left or right to left all open the right way round.
TGA 2.0 Files
The footer and extension area of version 2.0 files are read, along with the original 1.0 layout.
Status Line
The pixel size, bit depth, compression and alpha are shown under the picture.
Files Cut Short
A truncated file shows the rows it holds and leaves the rest empty.
Large Pictures
Very large pictures are shown at a reduced step that fits the browser’s memory.
Textures on 3D Models
TGA textures of OBJ, FBX, COLLADA and 3DS models are decoded by the same reader and drawn on the model.
Export to PNG, JPG or PDF
Save the picture from the Export menu for a web page, a forum post or an email.
Nothing Is Uploaded
The picture is decoded entirely in your browser. No account, no upload, no copy of your file on a server.
Share and Embed
Send a link that opens the picture in any browser, or put the viewer in your own page with one iframe.
Compatibility & Format Notes
The viewer reads colour-mapped, true-colour and greyscale TGA images (types 1, 2 and 3) and their RLE-compressed forms (types 9, 10 and 11), at 8, 15, 16, 24 and 32 bits per pixel, with colour maps of 15, 16, 24 or 32-bit entries. Pictures stored from the bottom left, from the top left or right to left all open the right way round.
Alpha comes from the attribute bits in the header and from the alpha type in the TGA 2.0 extension area, premultiplied alpha included. The status line gives the pixel size, the bit depth, the compression and whether the picture has alpha. A file that was cut short shows the rows it has, and very large pictures are shown at a reduced step.
The postage-stamp thumbnail, the colour-correction table and the developer area of a TGA 2.0 file are not read. Nothing is sent to a server.
Embed on Your Website
Add this viewer to your own site with a single line of HTML. Click Embed in the toolbar to generate an embed code, or use the snippet below with your own file URL.
Your Files Stay on Your Computer
Your TGA files are parsed entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, stored, or shared unless you explicitly click the Share button. Shared files are hosted for 90 days then deleted.
Frequently Asked Questions
▶How do I open a TGA file?
Drop it on this page. The viewer decodes the picture in your browser and shows it at full size, on Windows, a Mac, a Chromebook, Linux or a phone alike. From the Export menu you can save it as PNG, JPG or PDF.
▶Is the transparency kept?
Yes. The alpha channel of a 32-bit or 16-bit TGA is read, including premultiplied alpha marked in the TGA 2.0 extension area, and the picture is drawn with its transparency. A PNG export keeps it.
▶My picture shows only its top part. Why?
The file was cut short, for example by an interrupted download or copy. The viewer shows the rows the file holds and leaves the rest empty. Get a complete copy of the file to see the whole picture.
▶Do the TGA textures of my 3D model show?
Yes. Open the model together with its texture files (or as one .zip): TGA textures used by OBJ, FBX, COLLADA (.dae) and 3DS models are decoded by the same reader and drawn on the model.
▶Is this TGA viewer really free?
Yes, completely free. No signup, no watermarks, no file size limits on the viewer (the optional share-link feature has a 100 MB upload cap). Built by Innerscene as a tool for architects, engineers, and designers.
▶Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. All parsing, rendering, and conversion runs in your browser: nothing is uploaded, stored, or transmitted by default. The Share button is the only feature that uploads a file, and only when you explicitly click it.
▶Can I convert to another format?
Yes, to image formats. Click Export in the toolbar to save the picture as a PNG, a JPG or a PDF. The viewer does not write .tga.
▶Can I embed this viewer on my own site?
Yes. Click Embed in the toolbar to generate a one-line <iframe> snippet you can paste into any HTML page. You can choose whether the embed shows the viewer’s toolbar.
Truevision and Targa are trademarks of their respective owners. Innerscene is not affiliated with them.