How to view your MRI CD on a computer
MRI CDs from hospitals almost always contain DICOM files — not a standard image format. The CD may include a DICOMDIR index file and hundreds of individual slices across multiple series (T1, T2, FLAIR, post-contrast, etc.), each with different window/level settings optimized by the MRI technologist. None of those settings are visible to a normal image viewer.
Opening an MRI DICOM in macOS Preview or Windows Photos produces a barely-visible image at best — most MRI values fall in a narrow Hounsfield-equivalent range that maps to near-black when stretched across 8 bits without windowing. The converter here reads the Window Center and Window Width tags from each file and applies them before rendering, so you see what the radiologist saw.
For most practical purposes — sending to a second-opinion specialist, attaching to a legal case, sharing with your family doctor — a correctly-rendered JPG or a multi-page PDF of the relevant series is exactly what you need.
Open the converter — free, no upload
Getting your MRI images out of DICOM
- Copy the DICOM folder from your CD to your computer.
- Drop the .dcm files (or the whole folder's contents) into this converter.
- Preview loads with the correct contrast for each slice.
- Select JPG for quick sharing, or PDF to bundle multiple slices into a document.
Questions
My MRI has hundreds of slices — do I have to convert them one by one?
No. The full version converts an entire series in one batch. Drop all the .dcm files at once and download a ZIP of JPGs or a multi-page PDF.
Which MRI series should I send my doctor?
The radiologist will have indicated which series is most relevant in the report. For a second opinion, sending the full set (all series) is safest so the reviewing physician can choose.
Can this replace a radiologist's report?
No. This tool converts the images so they are viewable. A radiologist reads and interprets those images to write a report. You need both.