PCC File

What are PCC files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a PCC 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 PCC files.

What is a PCC file?

PCC files have multiple uses, and The Print Shop Deluxe Certificate is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

The Print Shop Deluxe Certificate

We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

How to open PCC files

Important: Different programs may use files with the PCC file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your PCC 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 PCC openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 10, 2026

All known file formats using extension .PCC

While The Print Shop Deluxe Certificate is a popular type of PCC-file, we know of 2 different uses of the .PCC file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

ZSoft Paintbrush Image File

ZSoft Paintbrush Image File (extension .PCC) stores a region of a bitmap image created using PC Paintbrush, specifically a cutout made with the scissors or pick tool. These files are written when a user selects part of a drawing (a smaller-than-screen or screen-area section) and saves just that section rather than the full canvas. PCC files contain the same image data structures that full-screen Paintbrush images use, but only for the portion selected.

The software that writes these files is PC Paintbrush (by ZSoft Corporation) under DOS and early Windows. Users produce .PCC cutouts using the copy or scissors tools, then saving the selection to disk with the .PCC extension. Once saved, these formats can be imported back into Paintbrush or included within larger images. When full screen images are saved, the .PCX extension is used instead. Microsoft Paintbrush version 1.0 or 2.0 could open .PCC files, and the functionality was inherited in later versions via Paste or Import-type commands.

Technically, a .PCC file begins exactly like a standard PCX image: it starts with a 128-byte header that includes an identification byte of value 10, version number, color depth, number of color planes, image bounds (Xmin, Ymin, Xmax, Ymax) and related metadata. The image data follows, compressed using PC Paintbrush's run-length encoding scheme. Thus .PCC cutouts are valid PCX image structures, distinguished only by their smaller dimensions and the use of .PCC extension rather than .PCX.

PCC opener for Windows

We have identified one PCC opener that is compatible with this specific type of PCC file.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of PCC files. Remember, different programs may use PCC 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 PCC file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.