How do I open a DICOM ZIP file?#
Extracting first is the most predictable route, especially for large or password-protected archives. OpenMyScan can also read some ordinary ZIP archives directly, but it applies archive safety and size limits. If direct import fails, extract the download on your computer and select the resulting folder.
Step 1 — Finish downloading the archive#
Use the imaging center's download instructions and save the ZIP to a folder on your own computer. Wait for the download to finish before opening it. A browser's partial-download file or a portal page saved as HTML is not the study archive.
If the portal offers both “report” and “images,” choose the images or DICOM export when you want the scan. A report PDF contains the radiologist's written findings; it does not contain the complete scrollable image study.
Step 2 — Extract the complete ZIP#
On a Mac#
Find the downloaded ZIP in Finder, often in Downloads. Double-click it to create an extracted folder. If extraction reports an error or asks for a password that you do not have, follow the sender's instructions or request a fresh download. Keep the original ZIP until you have checked the extracted copy.
On Windows#
In File Explorer, right-click the ZIP and choose Extract All. Choose a destination you can find again and wait until extraction finishes. Browsing a ZIP as if it were an ordinary folder is not the same as extracting all its files.
Keep the folders and filenames as supplied. If DICOMDIR sits beside DICOM or IMAGES, keep them together. Image files may have no extension; do not add .jpg or rename them to make them open.
Step 3 — Open the extracted study folder#
Open the DICOM viewer on a desktop or laptop. Drop the extracted parent folder onto the page or use the folder picker. Your scan files are read on your device. You do not need an online unzip service or the launcher supplied inside the archive.
Choose a series and scroll through the slices. Check the date and series list before deleting any duplicate download. Loading one series does not prove the export contains every series from the examination.
What if the ZIP does not open or has no images?#
- The archive asks for a password
- Ask the imaging center or sender for the password and its extraction instructions. Do not assume the browser viewer can unlock encrypted archives.
- Extraction fails or ends partway through
- Check that the download completed and that your computer has space for the extracted files. Download a fresh copy; if the same error repeats, ask the sender to replace it.
- There is another ZIP inside
- Extract that archive too, following the sender's instructions, and keep the resulting study folder intact.
- I only see a PDF, a link, or DICOMDIR
- A report or index alone is not the images. Ask for the complete DICOM export. Our DICOMDIR guide explains which files belong together.
- The folder opens but one series fails
- Use the troubleshooting guide to distinguish a missing file from a display or compatibility problem.
How should I keep or send the original ZIP?#
Store the original archive as a backup on a device or service you trust. ZIP packaging alone does not guarantee encryption, and DICOM files can contain patient details. When another doctor needs your study, follow the receiving clinic's transfer instructions and send the complete DICOM files rather than a few JPG exports. See how to send an MRI to another doctor.
Common questions#
Can I drop a ZIP straight into OpenMyScan?
Some ordinary ZIP archives can be imported directly, subject to safety and size limits. Extracting the complete ZIP locally and choosing the resulting folder is the fallback if direct import fails. Encrypted archives should be extracted locally with the sender's instructions.
Will extracting the ZIP change my scan?
Extraction unpacks the files rather than converting the images. Keep the original archive and its folder structure, and check that extraction completed without errors.
Can I email JPGs instead of the ZIP?
JPG exports can illustrate selected images but do not replace the complete DICOM study. Ask the receiving clinician how to transfer the original files.