The BMP (Bitmap Image File) format is a raster graphics image file format used to store digital images, especially on Microsoft Windows and OS/2 operating systems. BMP files store bitmap digital images independently of the display device (such as a graphics adapter), meaning they can be displayed on various devices with minimal or no modification. The format supports various color depths, including monochrome, 16-color, 256-color, and 24-bit color. BMP images are typically uncompressed or use lossless compression techniques like RLE (Run-Length Encoding), although they can also contain compressed data using other algorithms. Due to the lack of advanced compression, BMP files tend to be larger in size compared to other image formats like JPEG or PNG. The format is relatively simple, making it easy to implement and widely supported by image editing software and operating systems. It is often used for storing icons, wallpapers, and other simple images where image quality is paramount and file size is less of a concern. The BMP format is also used as a basis for other image formats, such as the Windows Metafile (WMF) and Enhanced Metafile (EMF) formats.