How to Open a Dicom File on iPhone or iPad

Written by Travis Boylls

Last Updated: March 29, 2019

This wikiHow teaches you how to open a DICOM file on iPhone and iPad. DICOM (or .dcm files) contain digital images from a medical scan, such as an MRI, or ultrasound.^{[1]
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Research source} You can view DICOM files using the DICOM Viewer App.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Downloading and Installing DICOM Viewer App

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The App Store is where you download and install new apps on your iPhone or iPad. It has a blue icon with a white capital "A". Tap the icon on your homescreen to open the App Store.
The Search tab is in the lower-right corner of the App Store. It has an icon that resembles a magnifying glass. This displays a page with a search bar.

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The search bar is the grey bar in the center of the screen. Typing in the search bar displays a list of search results that match your text.
As soon as DICOM Viewer App appears in the list of search results, tap it to display the DICOM Viewer App and similar apps in the App Store.
This downloads and installs the DICOM Viewer App. The DICOM Viewer app has a blue icon with an image that resembles a stethoscope.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Opening Files in DICOM Viewer App

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The Files app has an icon that resembles a blue folder. It's in the Dock at the bottom of your homescreen. This opens the File app, which you can use to browse and open files on your iPhone or iPad, as well as other storage locations.
The Browse tab is the second tab at the bottom of the Files app. This displays the Locations menu in a bar to the left.
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Tap the Location the file is saved to. If the file is saved to your iPhone or iPad storage, tap On my iPhone/iPad. If it is saved to your iCloud drive, tap iCloud Drive. If the file is saved to a different cloud storage location, such as Google Drive, or Dropbox, you can tap that location as well.
- If the file is saved to a cloud-based storage service, such as Dropbox, or Google Drive, and it is not showing up in the Locations menu. Make sure you have the cloud-service app downloaded from the App Store and you are signed in to the app. Then tap Edit above the Locations menu, and tap the toggle switch next to the cloud-based service you want to display in the Locations menu.
If the file is saved to a specific folder, tap that folder to display all the contents of the folder. Otherwise, scroll up and down to view all the files in your storage drive.
The Select button is in the upper-right corner of the Files app. This displays a radial button to the left of all items in the Files app.
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Tap the radial button next to the left of a DICOM image. This selects the file. Selected files display a blue checkmark icon next to the file.
- You can select more than one item in the Files app, but DICOM Viewer App can only open one image at a time.
The Share button appears in the lower-left corner when you select an item in the Files menu. This button opens the Share menu, which lists apps you can use to open the file.
The second bar from the bottom of the Share menu lists apps you can use to open the file. If you do not see the DICOM Viewer App icon, swipe left in this bar to view more apps. Tap the icon to open the DICOM image file in DICOM Viewer App.