Digital pathology & microscopy viewer Windows & macOS

OPEN ANY MICROSCOPY SLIDE IN SECONDS.

No vendor software, no converting, no plugins. Drop in a brightfield, fluorescence, confocal or whole-slide file from Zeiss, Nikon, Leica, Hamamatsu, Philips TIFF, 3DHISTECH and more — 34 formats, one fast app.

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Free download · view 5 images free, no account needed

  • Free download · view 5 images free, no account needed
  • 3-day free trial · PayPal or card approval required
  • Code-signed installer
  • SlideScope 1.10.0 2026-10-16
  • For research, education and review — not for diagnosis
  • Read trust & data handling

Rated 4.8 out of 5 from 5 reviews

SlideScope 1.10.0

Open, review, measure, and annotate microscopy files with ease

SlideScope is a desktop digital pathology and microscopy viewer for Windows and macOS. Researchers, educators, laboratories, and pathology teams use it to open whole slide images from Aperio, Hamamatsu, 3DHISTECH, Leica, and Ventana scanners (SVS, NDPI, MRXS, SCN, BIF, QPTIFF) alongside CZI, ND2, LIF, IMS, DICOM, and TIFF microscopy files in one focused workspace.

Use calibrated measurements, precise annotations, shared slides, side-by-side comparison, and AI-assisted analysis without the cost or complexity of a heavy image-management platform. Whole slide imaging, histology, and virtual microscopy review all run from the same window, on your own machine.

Free preview: open, measure and annotate up to 5 of your own local images. No account or card needed.

  • Up to 2 devices
  • Desktop + cloud
Runs on your machine
  • Open files & links
  • Measure & annotate
  • On-device AI quantification

Opening, viewing, measurement and quantification all happen locally. No upload required.

Cloud AI is optional
  • Share slide packages
  • AI Analysis

AI Analysis sends only a compressed view of the current frame, and asks before the first time.

Features

Your slides. Your tools. One focused workspace.

Open, navigate, measure, and annotate. The everyday work of microscopy, together in a desktop app.

Move through large slides.

Navigate between the overview and areas of interest. Keep your place as you explore the detail.

Bring your formats together.

Review images from different microscopes and scanners in one consistent workspace.

Keep your tools close.

Inspect channels, make calibrated measurements, annotate, and compare related slides.

  • Windows 10/11 and macOS builds
  • SSL.com code-signed Windows downloads
  • Account-linked saved slide notes
  • Brightness, contrast, and gamma controls with per-channel colours
  • Export the current view or a selected region as an image
  • Localized release notes and product documentation
  • Slide overview navigator and file details without opening a slide
  • On-device segmentation and object counting with folder batch runs
Quick walkthrough

Watch demo

Supported file formats

Different formats. A familiar workspace.

Start with the files you use. Check support and important limitations before bringing them into your workflow.

  • CZI
  • ND2
  • SVS
  • NDPI
  • MRXS
  • QPTIFF
  • SCN
  • BIF
  • VMS
  • VMU
  • SVSLIDE
  • LIF
  • IMS
  • AVS
  • DCM
  • TIF
  • VSI
  • OIB
  • OIR
  • ZVI
  • LSM
  • LOF
  • XLEF
  • DV
  • STK
  • ND
  • NDPIS
  • OME-Zarr
  • PNG
  • JPG
  • JP2
  • BMP
  • GIF
  • WebP
  • CZI for Zeiss microscopy images
  • ND2 for Nikon time-lapse, Z-stack, and multidimensional microscopy files
  • SVS for Aperio whole-slide pathology images
  • NDPI, VMS, VMU, MRXS, SCN, BIF, SVSLIDE, QPTIFF, and AVS scanner slides from Hamamatsu, 3DHISTECH, Leica, Ventana, Aperio, Vectra, and Agilent ARGOS
  • DICOM for research and education medical imaging review
  • TIFF and microscopy TIFF export workflows
  • LIF for Leica confocal and widefield microscopy files
  • IMS for Imaris/Bitplane multi-channel imaging files
  • Olympus/Evident VSI, OIB/OIF and OIR, Zeiss ZVI and LSM, Leica LOF and XLEF, DeltaVision DV, MetaMorph STK and ND, Hamamatsu NDPIS and OME-Zarr (including HCS plates), with the instrument settings each file records
  • PNG, JPEG, JPEG 2000, BMP, GIF and WebP images

Header images: IMS: Dave Mason, CC BY 4.0 CZI: Stephan Wagner-Conrad (Zenodo 10577186), CC BY 4.0 ND2: Aryeh Weiss, CC BY 4.0 ND2: hfriedman97 (Zenodo 10277961), CC BY 4.0 LIF: Nicolas Chiaruttini, CC BY 4.0 DICOM: NCI Imaging Data Commons, CC BY 4.0 NDPI, TIFF, SVS: OpenSlide test data, CC0

Rated 4.8 out of 5 from 5 reviews

★★★★★
SlideScope made it much easier for our lab to open CZI and ND2 files without jumping between different tools. The interface is simple, the zoom and navigation feel smooth, and the AI Analysis panel is surprisingly helpful when we need a quick explanation of what we are looking at.
Daniel R.
★★★★★
Very practical viewer for day-to-day microscopy work. I mainly use it to review large SVS slides, check metadata, and export views for collaboration. It feels lightweight, focused, and much faster to explain to new team members than the heavier software we used before.
Maya L.
★★★★★
What I like most is that SlideScope does not try to be complicated. I can drag in a microscopy file, move through slices, measure areas, and get a clear AI-generated description when I need context. It saves time, especially when reviewing images with students.
Jonathan K.
★★★★★
Opening microscopy files from shared links is a big advantage for our workflow. We often receive files from collaborators, and SlideScope makes it easy to inspect them quickly without a long setup process. The support inside the app also gives the product a very personal feeling.
Emily S.
★★★★★
For the price, SlideScope gives us exactly what we need: CZI, ND2, SVS, DICOM, and TIFF support, smooth viewing, measurement tools, and clear AI readouts. It is especially useful for research and teaching where we need quick, reliable image review without a complex learning curve.
Alex M.

What to know before you trust it with your slides

Local file review

SlideScope opens supported microscopy files from the computer. Opening a shared link is optional, and linked files can be cached locally for review.

Accounts and saved notes

Accounts manage subscription access and can store slide notes. Do not place patient-identifying or restricted research information in saved notes unless institutional policy permits it.

AI Analysis

AI Analysis is optional and sends the visible frame to the hosted analysis service. Do not use it with data that your organisation does not allow you to send to that service.

Clinical-use boundary

SlideScope is intended for research, education, and review. It is not presented as a turnkey clinical diagnostic platform; diagnostic use requires institutional validation and regulatory review.

Read trust & data handling

Fast, human support

Your work matters to us

If something doesn't work as expected, tell us. We personally review every report, and our human support team is available 24/7. Helpful reports can also earn rewards toward your SlideScope subscription.

Contact support
Resource library

Find the right microscopy guide

Start with your file format, workflow, or current software. Each guide gives you a focused path to the details you need.

Digital pathology

Whole slide imaging and pathology

Microscope formats

Open confocal, widefield and plate files

Use cases

Explore a workflow

Software comparisons

Compare viewer options

Independent comparison guide

ImageJ alternatives for viewing microscopy files

Evaluate SlideScope for viewing mixed microscopy formats, measuring and routine local quantification. Use Fiji/ImageJ for plugins and macros, QuPath for whole-slide analysis pipelines, and vendor software for microscope acquisition.

Alternatives

FAQ

What is SlideScope?

SlideScope is a desktop microscopy and medical imaging viewer for Windows and macOS. It supports CZI, ND2, SVS, DICOM, and TIFF review workflows.

Who is it for?

It is built for research labs, microscopy core facilities, educators, students, and pathology review teams that need practical file review, annotations, measurements, metadata, and export.

How does AI Analysis work?

AI Analysis reads the visible frame and returns a formatted expert-style explanation with language selection, copy/share controls, and text zoom. It is for research, education, and review workflows.

How do pricing and the free trial work?

Free preview: open, measure and annotate up to 5 of your own local images. No account or card needed. Eligible accounts can start a free 3-day trial with every feature unlocked after approving a PayPal or card subscription. Nothing is charged today. For the individual monthly plan, billing starts at 25.00 USD per month when the trial ends unless you cancel beforehand. Cancel anytime from your account. Use one subscription on up to 2 desktop devices—Windows, macOS, or one of each—at no extra cost. Cloud-powered AI Analysis, shared views, and account-linked slide notes are included too. An individual annual option costs $249.99 USD per year, about two months free, and shared lab plans start at $79 USD per month for up to 5 contributor seats, with tiers up to 30 seats. Every plan also comes as SlideScope Plus, from $50 USD per month: up to 4 devices, 50 images in SlideScope Cloud, and unlimited notes and annotations.

Is it a good histology slide viewer?

Yes, for histology and histopathology research, teaching, and review. Scanned sections open at full resolution, structures measure in calibrated micrometres using the pixel size recorded by the scanner, and annotations stay attached to the slide. Virtual microscopy courses use it because each student runs it locally.

Can it open whole slide imaging from a slide scanner?

Yes. SlideScope opens Aperio SVS, pyramidal TIFF and OME-TIFF, and Hamamatsu NDPI, VMS, and VMU, 3DHISTECH MRXS, Leica SCN, Ventana BIF, Aperio SVSLIDE, Vectra/PerkinElmer QPTIFF, and Agilent ARGOS AVS through the OpenSlide backend. Since version 1.10.0 it also opens Olympus/Evident VSI slides from cellSens, including slides with several scan regions, each measured at its own pixel size, and Hamamatsu NDPIS fluorescence sets, and Leica SCN and Ventana BIF slides that OpenSlide cannot read open as well (BIF tile seams are not stitched yet). It reads the scanner image pyramid, so gigapixel slides open on an ordinary laptop with no image server. MRXS, VMS, and VMU slides open from local storage only, because their pixels live in a companion folder. It does not read Philips iSyntax, KFBio KFB, or SQRAY SDPC.

Is SlideScope image analysis software?

Yes, for the quantification most laboratories actually need. Alongside viewing, calibrated measurement, metadata inspection, and annotation, Local Quantification segments nuclei, cells, or particles on your own computer and reports calibrated counts, density per square millimetre, morphology, per-channel mean intensity, and marker positivity, with CSV, GeoJSON, mask TIFF, and methods-summary exports and folder batch runs. What it does not do is scripted or custom pipelines, so ImageJ or Fiji, CellProfiler, and QuPath remain the right tools for bespoke analysis. Results are for research use and need visual quality control.

Can I compare two slides side by side?

Yes. Open a second slide beside the first and both panes stay on the same part of the tissue at the same magnification, which is the usual way to read an H&E against its IHC restain. Scale is matched in micrometres rather than by zoom factor, so two scans digitised at different resolutions genuinely correspond instead of only appearing to. Panning or zooming either pane moves the other.

Can I export measurements and annotations to QuPath?

Yes. Measurements, notes, and saved regions export as GeoJSON, which QuPath, ASAP, and the Python tooling around them read directly. Coordinates are written at full slide resolution rather than at the zoom level you happened to be viewing, so regions land in the right place. CSV export is also available for measurement tables.

Can I send someone the exact view I am looking at?

Yes. A shared view link carries the slide together with the position, zoom, and plane, so the person you send it to opens the same field of view instead of hunting across a gigapixel scan. Installed copies of SlideScope register a slidescope:// handler and open the link with one click; anyone without the app sees what the link points at on the website first. This is what makes remote review and teaching practical.

Is SlideScope a digital pathology viewer?

Yes. SlideScope is a desktop digital pathology viewer for Windows and macOS: it opens whole slide images from Aperio, Hamamatsu, 3DHISTECH, Leica, Ventana, Akoya, and Olympus/Evident scanners at full resolution, measures in calibrated micrometres, keeps annotations attached to the slide, compares an H&E against its IHC side by side, and exports regions as GeoJSON for QuPath. It is intended for research, education, and review, not for clinical diagnosis.

What is digital pathology?

Digital pathology is the practice of scanning glass slides into whole slide images and then viewing, sharing, annotating, and analysing those images on a computer instead of at a microscope. A scanner produces a gigapixel image pyramid in a vendor format such as SVS, NDPI, or MRXS; a viewer such as SlideScope reads the appropriate resolution levels as you navigate between the overview and areas of interest.

Is there a free version of SlideScope?

Free preview: open, measure and annotate up to 5 of your own local images. No account or card needed. There is no unlimited permanently free tier. Eligible accounts can start a free 3-day trial with every feature unlocked after approving a PayPal or card subscription. Nothing is charged today. For the individual monthly plan, billing starts at 25.00 USD per month when the trial ends unless you cancel beforehand. Cancel anytime from your account. If you need a free tool, the comparison pages on this site explain when QuPath, ImageScope, or NDP.view2 is the better fit.

Does SlideScope run on a Mac?

Yes. SlideScope ships native builds for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs on macOS 14 and later, and for Windows 10 and 11. That matters because Aperio ImageScope is Windows-only, so Mac users who receive SVS files usually arrive here looking for an ImageScope alternative for macOS.

What if a file doesn't open or render correctly?

Tell us. Send the file type, the microscope or software that produced it, and what you saw, and a real person from our 24/7 support team will reply. Unusual files, incorrect rendering, and workflows that don't behave as expected are exactly the reports that help us improve SlideScope, and helpful reports can earn rewards toward your subscription.

From the whole slide to the detail that matters.

3-day free trial · PayPal or card approval required · Cancel anytime from your account.