Host a DDS file and share it as a link
Put a DirectDraw Surface texture online at its own address — the compressed format GPUs read directly.
Drop your DDS file here
Any other file works too — up to 25.0 MB, or 100.0 MB for a whole site
Free to use. Your DDS file is live at your-name.99helpers.site in about ten seconds.
What is a .dds file?
DDS is Microsoft's texture container, holding images in block-compressed formats that graphics hardware decodes directly. That's its point: a DDS texture goes to the GPU without being decompressed first, saving both memory and load time. It also stores mipmaps and cube maps in one file.
What people use DDS files for
- Game textures shipped in a build
- Modding assets for existing games
- Cube maps and environment textures
- Texture atlases with pre-generated mipmaps
What opens a DDS file
- Unity, Unreal and DirectX applications
- Photoshop with the NVIDIA texture plugin
- GIMP with a DDS plugin, and Paint.NET
- No browser displays DDS
How to host a DDS file
- 1
Drop your DDS file in
Drag it onto the box at the top of this page, or click to choose it. Files up to 25 MB are supported, and nothing is uploaded until you publish.
- 2
Pick an address
Type a name and we'll tell you straight away whether it's free. That becomes the link: game-texture.99helpers.site
- 3
Publish and share
Create a free account — that step exists so the file is yours to update, replace or delete — and the link is live within seconds.
The same three steps work for any file — see how file hosting works on 99helpers.com.
What happens when someone opens the link
The file downloads. Browsers don't render DDS, and even many image viewers can't — it's a format aimed at graphics hardware rather than people.
Why host a DDS file instead of emailing it?
Game mods and texture packs get distributed constantly, and DDS files are large. A permanent link is simpler than a modding site's upload queue for sharing work in progress.
Worth knowing before you publish
- Block compression is lossy — keep the source PNG or TGA for future edits.
- Include mipmaps when exporting, or textures will shimmer at distance in-engine.
- Host a PNG preview so people can see what a texture looks like before downloading.
DDS hosting questions
- What opens a DDS file?
- Photoshop with NVIDIA's plugin, GIMP with a DDS plugin, or Paint.NET. Game engines import them directly. No browser displays them.
- Why use DDS instead of PNG?
- Block compression means the GPU reads the texture without decompressing it, saving memory and load time. That matters in a game engine and nowhere else.
- Is DDS lossy?
- The block compression formats are, yes. Always keep an uncompressed source file for future editing.
Put your DDS file online now
It takes about ten seconds, and you only make an account once the file is ready to go live.
Hosting guides for related formats
DDS is one of over 211 formats you can host — see free file hosting for any file type for the full list, or read the hosting guides for other file types.