IMA File Extension

What is the .IMA file type?

A shorthand for 'Image,' the .ima filename extension is conventionally used to denote the generic Bootable Disk Image (.ima) file type and the underlying raw, sector-by-sector disk image format. Although the .ima extension was initially only used for true FAT12 floppy-disk images created in MS-DOS, it is now assigned to various bootable images. Unlike .ima, a more generic .img extension is widely used to represent any disk image. An .ima file is a bootable disk image that for compatibility reasons must use the 3.5" floppy-disk image format (1,440 KB). It is a sector-by-sector dump of the raw disk data. The .ima extension is automatically assigned to images created off bootable media, incl. hard disks, memory cards, USB flash drives, etc. Once created, such a bootable image (.ima) can be used to copy the original disk on a different physical media, or mounted on a virtual drive. A number of disk image tools can create, open, mount, or record IMA images, as well as convert them other image formats like ISO.

Additionally, the .ima extension denotes the IncrediMail Animation (.ima) file type associated with IncrediMail, a commercial e-mail client for Microsoft Windows by Perion Network Ltd. Here, an .ima file represents an animated image that can be used in e-mail messages sent with IncrediMail. Internally, the .ima file is a Microsoft Cabinet archive containing the "content.ini" control file along with animated graphics (.gif) and sound (.mp3) files. On systems with IncrediMail installed, the .ima file type is associated with the IncrediMail Content Importer (ImpCnt.exe).

The .ima extension is also commonly used to denote DICOM Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) image files (.ima) obtained with Siemens MRI medical scanners (e.g., Siemens MAGNETOM). An .ima file is a container for a series of sequential MRI scans (usually, of a human brain) that can be opened, viewed, and analyzed using dedicated MRI software or open-source packages like ImageJ. Besides, Siemens DICOM (.ima) images can be directly viewed using several multi-format image viewers.

Software to open or convert IMA files

IrfanView by Irfan Skiljan

 

IrfanView

 

PowerISO by Power Software Ltd

 

IncrediMail by IncrediMail Ltd.

 

WinImage

 

Free File Viewer Pro

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