What image/file formats xyscan supports depends slightly on the platform. By default, xyscan supports the following formats:
| Format | Description |
| BMP | Windows Bitmap |
| GIF | Graphic Interchange Format (optional) |
| JPG | Joint Photographic Experts Group |
| JPEG | Joint Photographic Experts Group |
| PNG | Portable Network Graphics |
| PBM | Portable Bitmap |
| PGM | Portable Graymap |
| PPM | Portable Pixmap |
| XBM | X11 Bitmap |
| XPM | X11 Pixmap |
TIF and PNG works on most platforms tested. Note that you can load any format (PDF, EPS, ...) that is not directly supported in xyscan by using a browser (such as Acrobat Reader) that is able to display the file format. Simply copy/paste image from the browser into xyscan (see Using the Clipboard).