S2TC compressed surface file
File type: Graphics file
A DXT4 file is a texture surface compressed with S2TC. It contains color data and premultiplied alpha data for rendering textured surfaces.
File type category:
Graphics file
Date updated: September 27, 2026
S2TC compresses texture data into the DXT4 surface format. DXT4 is intended for textures with premultiplied alpha, allowing transparent surface data to be stored together with compressed color information.
The resulting file is used as a texture resource by compatible graphics or rendering software. It is not normally designed for direct editing in a standard image editor.
Open a DXT4 file with the S2TC-compatible graphics or rendering software that uses it. A general-purpose image viewer may not recognize the file because it contains compressed surface data rather than a standard bitmap.
If the file came with a particular application or project, open or import it through that application instead of opening it as a standalone image.
A DXT4 file can be converted by software that can decompress S2TC surfaces. Such software may export the texture to an image format or another texture format, after which it can be recompressed for use in a different application.
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