ECW File

What are ECW files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening an ECW file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your ECW files.

What is an ECW file?

ECW files have multiple uses, and Enhanced Compressed Wavelet Image is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Enhanced Compressed Wavelet Image File

ECW or the enhanced compressed wavelet file extension is a type of image file format compression wherein it stores information captured using satellites and aerial cameras or georeaders placed in space. This file type is known to capture aerial pictures via satellites for the development of geolocation and mapping databases.

ECW files are popular among developers and users of Geographic Information System, and thus, there are a lot of applications that can be utilized to view files with .ecw format.

Earth Resource Mapping pioneered enhanced compressed wavelet and was later owned by ERDAS (Earth Resource Data Analysis System). ECW is an ideal image format for large image files because of its ability to achieve significant compression rates that other formats have difficulty with.

ER Mapper Image Compressor is an application designed to solely support .ecw files. Since aerial images of geographic locations and areas are generally large, they would take up a large memory size. Nonetheless, the said compressor can significantly compress the image to reduce the file size without altering or losing the original image quality.

How to open ECW files

Important: Different programs may use files with the ECW file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your ECW file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested ten different ECW openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: September 9, 2023

All known file formats using extension .ECW

While Enhanced Compressed Wavelet Image File is a popular type of ECW-file, we know of 4 different uses of the .ECW file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

EasyCAD Drawing

We know that one ECW format is EasyCAD Drawing. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

EclipseCrossword CrossWord

We know that one ECW format is EclipseCrossword CrossWord. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

Ensoniq WaveSet Audio File

We know that one ECW format is Ensoniq WaveSet Audio File. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of ECW files. Remember, different programs may use ECW files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

Help us help others

File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about ECW file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.