DotMorph: the radial-menu file converter for Linux

Convert any file in two clicks. Images, PDF, SVG, video, audio, Office documents and Markdown, with 440+ conversions from one animated wheel. Open it from your file manager, a hotkey, a screen-edge dock or the terminal.

Website · DotSuite · Changelog · Roadmap · All my tools

Why DotMorph?

Converting a file on Linux usually means hunting for the right ffmpeg, convert, pdftoppm or soffice command, or uploading private files to an online converter. DotMorph puts every converter you already have behind one wheel:

1. Select files (or copy them, or drop them on the wheel).
2. Open the wheel: right-click → DotMorph, Super+Shift+M, the screen-edge tab, or dotmorph FILE.
3. Pick the format. Done, with live progress and a notification that opens the folder.

• Fast: the daemon opens the wheel in about 0.1 s. Same-codec video container swaps are stream copies that take seconds.
• Private: everything runs locally. No uploads, no accounts, no telemetry.
• Native to Linux: Nautilus, Thunar, Dolphin and Nemo menus, GNOME and Xfce hotkeys, X11 and Wayland, systemd user services, freedesktop notifications.
• Honest: it detects the tools you have installed and only shows conversions that will work. dotmorph doctor tells you what to install for the rest.
• Free and open source: Apache 2.0, part of the DotSuite family.

Features

Supported conversions

DotMorph probes what is installed and offers only what really works on your machine. With the usual Linux tools installed that is 440+ conversions:

Popular conversions: PDF to PNG/JPG · HEIC to JPG · SVG to PNG · SVG to PDF (vector) · PNG to WebP/AVIF · MOV to MP4 · MP4 to GIF · MKV to MP4 (no re-encode) · video to MP3 · FLAC to MP3 · DOCX to PDF · PPTX to PDF · XLSX to CSV · Markdown to PDF/DOCX/HTML · compress PDF · merge images into one PDF · remove EXIF/GPS from photos.

Tools keep the format and change the file:

Install

Pick one. Every package installs the same app, the dotmorph command, and the "DotMorph" and "DotMorph Settings" launchers.

Then install the conversion tools you want. dotmorph doctor lists what is missing, with the exact command for apt, dnf, pacman or zypper:

sudo apt install poppler-utils ghostscript imagemagick ffmpeg pandoc   # pick what you need
sudo apt install libreoffice          # optional: Office documents
sudo apt install wl-clipboard         # optional: hotkey on Wayland reads your copied files
dotmorph doctor                       # what works now, and what to install for the rest

Notes per method:

• pipx: add ,heic ('dotmorph[gui,heic]') for iPhone photos through Pillow. Only PySide6-Essentials is pulled in (about 250 MB, not the full 700 MB PySide6).
• AppImage: it bundles Python and Qt, so only the conversion tools come from your system. Qt needs libxcb-cursor0 on X11/XWayland (sudo apt install libxcb-cursor0). If it won't start because of FUSE, install libfuse2 (libfuse2t64 on Ubuntu 24.04+) or run it with --appimage-extract-and-run. Run ./DotMorph-2.0.2-x86_64.AppImage integrate once to get menus and the launcher; desktop integration remembers the AppImage's path, so keep it in one place (e.g. ~/Applications).
• .deb: it uses your distribution's Qt 6 and PySide6 (python3-pyside6.*, qml6-module-*, 6.6 or newer), so it only installs on releases that ship them (see below).
• AUR: it depends on pyside6, qt6-declarative and librsvg; the conversion tools are optional dependencies.
• Flatpak: none, on purpose. DotMorph works by running the converters already on your system and by adding itself to your file manager, hotkeys, autostart and systemd. A Flatpak sandbox blocks all of that, so it would only be a lesser copy of the AppImage.

Supported systems

Which install works on my distribution?

¹ The release has no PySide6 package, or its Qt is older than 6.6. Use pipx or the AppImage. ² The default Python is older than 3.10. Install a newer Python (e.g. python3.11), then pipx install --python python3.11 'dotmorph[gui]'. pip then picks PySide6 6.9, which still supports glibc 2.28. ³ With the python3.11 package: pipx install --python python3.11 'dotmorph[gui]'.

Minimum versions

The whole test suite passes on both tested combinations: PySide6 6.9 with Python 3.13 and Pillow 10.4, and PySide6 6.12 with Python 3.14 and Pillow 13.

Conversion tools have no fixed minimum. DotMorph detects what is installed and only offers what works (dotmorph doctor). Versions used for testing: ffmpeg 9.0, poppler 26.07, Ghostscript 10.08, ImageMagick 7.1 (ImageMagick 6 also works), pandoc 3.11, LibreOffice 26.8.

Desktops

Verify your download

Every GitHub release has a SHA256SUMS file, a detached GPG signature (.asc) for every file, and the public key (dotmorph-signing-key.asc):

sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing                  # checks the files you downloaded
gpg --import dotmorph-signing-key.asc
gpg --verify SHA256SUMS.asc SHA256SUMS                    # the checksums are really from us
gpg --verify DotMorph-2.0.2-x86_64.AppImage.asc DotMorph-2.0.2-x86_64.AppImage

Releases are signed by FreeRave <kareem209907@gmail.com>, with this key fingerprint:

0F04 6781 3146 DE68 272E  DC82 145D 3459 56DE 18D2

Check it after importing: gpg --fingerprint kareem209907@gmail.com. Good signature from that key means the file is exactly what the release workflow built. Packages from PyPI carry PyPI's own attestations instead.

On Arch you can also install the ready-built package from the release without the AUR: sudo pacman -U dotmorph-2.0.2-1-any.pkg.tar.zst.

From source

git clone https://github.com/kareem2099/DotMorph && cd DotMorph
python3 -m venv .venv && . .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e '.[gui]'

Requirements:

• Python 3.10+. Only Pillow is required; every other tool unlocks more formats.
• PySide6 6.6+ (PySide6-Essentials is enough) for the wheel.
• Arabic: the interface uses Noto Kufi Arabic, or another Noto Arabic font, when one is installed.
• librsvg for SVG, which every GNOME/GTK desktop already has.

You can run DotMorph without activating the venv: ~/DotMorph/.venv/bin/dotmorph. Desktop integration writes that absolute path, so menus and the hotkey work without PATH changes.

Then set it up on your desktop (per user, no root, all undoable):

dotmorph daemon --install     # instant open; the edge dock comes back at every login
dotmorph integrate            # right-click menus: Nautilus, Thunar, Dolphin, Nemo + "Open with"
dotmorph hotkey               # Super+Shift+M opens the wheel with the files you copied
dotmorph completions zsh --install    # or bash / fish: tab completion for formats and flags

Usage

The wheel

dotmorph photo.png                 # open the wheel for this file
dotmorph a.pdf b.pdf               # several files at once
dotmorph                           # open empty, then drag files onto it
dotmorph --clipboard               # the files you copied in the file manager (Ctrl+C)
dotmorph --theme glass photo.png   # dark (default), light or glass
dotmorph --reduce-motion photo.png # no animations
dotmorph --no-daemon photo.png     # a separate window even when the daemon runs

Moving around the wheel:

• Rings: the inner ring holds the categories (Image, Video, Audio, Docs, Tools). Hover one and its formats bloom outward; click a format to convert. Files with only a few targets get one ring, and a category with a single option converts on click.
• Converting: the centre shows a progress arc with a percentage (or elapsed seconds when a tool can't report progress). Click the centre to cancel.
• Result: success draws a check mark with a particle burst. A failure shakes the wheel and shows the error underneath.
• Moving: drag the wheel anywhere to move it; it turns see-through while it moves. A drag is never a click.
• Options: O, or the button on the rim. Quality, PDF/SVG resolution, size (75 / 50 / 25 %) and remove metadata, remembered between runs. All settings… opens the settings window.
• Keyboard: ← → / Tab move, Enter / ↑ open or convert, Backspace / ↓ go back, 1–9 jump straight to a sector, Esc closes.

The defaults can also be set once in your shell:

export DOTMORPH_THEME=light
export DOTMORPH_REDUCE_MOTION=1

Edge dock

Drag the wheel against the left or right edge of the screen and it docks there as a slim glowing tab, out of your way, like Android's edge panels.

• Open: hover the tab for a moment, or click it, and a half wheel opens out of the edge. Dragging files from your file manager over the tab opens it too.
• Fold: it folds back by itself when the pointer leaves, after a conversion, or on Esc / ✕.
• Move: drag the tab up and down to slide it along the edge. Pull it away to get the full wheel back.
• Hide: right-click the tab to hide it.
• Remembered: the side and height are saved. With the daemon installed, the tab comes back after every login.

Settings

dotmorph settings        # also in your app menu as "DotMorph Settings"

Every change is saved at once to ~/.config/dotmorph/settings.json, and a running daemon picks it up immediately. A --theme flag or DOTMORPH_THEME still overrides the saved theme for one run.

Command line

dotmorph convert report.pdf --to png --dpi 200 # PDF default 150 dpi
dotmorph convert logo.svg --to png             # original size (96 dpi); --dpi 192 = 2x
dotmorph convert logo.svg --to pdf             # stays vector
dotmorph convert IMG_*.HEIC --to jpg --strip   # iPhone photos, GPS removed
dotmorph convert *.png --to webp --quality 85 --resize 1920x1080 -o out/
dotmorph convert holiday.mov --to mp4          # live progress bar, Ctrl-C cancels cleanly
dotmorph convert clip.mp4 --to gif --resize 480
dotmorph convert scan1.jpg scan2.jpg notes.pdf --to merge-pdf
dotmorph convert photos/*.jpg --to strip -j 8  # 8 files in parallel
dotmorph convert report.docx --to pdf --notify # notification with "Open folder" when done
dotmorph convert shots/*.png --preset web      # WebP, fits 1920 px, q80, no metadata
dotmorph convert *.mov --to mp4 --dry-run      # show what would happen, write nothing
dotmorph formats                               # everything this machine can convert
dotmorph formats song.flac                     # targets for one file
dotmorph formats --missing                     # what installing more tools would add
dotmorph doctor                                # tools, extras, desktop integration status

Existing files are never overwritten unless you pass --overwrite (you get name (1).ext). More options:

Exit codes: 0 everything converted, 1 something failed, 130 cancelled.

Presets (--preset NAME; explicit flags still win):

Linux desktop integration

Wayland: the wheel runs through XWayland so it can stay on top. It opens in the middle of the screen, because Wayland doesn't tell apps where the pointer is.

Uninstall the desktop integration

dotmorph integrate --remove
dotmorph hotkey --remove
dotmorph daemon --uninstall
dotmorph watch --list              # then: dotmorph watch --uninstall NAME

FAQ

Part of DotSuite

DotMorph is one of the developer and desktop tools in DotSuite by FreeRave:

• DotScramble: image privacy studio (faces, plates, text).
• DotGhostBoard: encrypted clipboard manager for Linux.
• DotShare: share your code journey from VS Code.
• …and everything else at universe.dotsuite.dev.

Develop

pip install -e '.[gui,dev]'
pytest          # 94 tests; those for tools that aren't installed are skipped
ruff check .

• GUI tests load the real QML offscreen (QT_QPA_PLATFORM=offscreen).
• Isolation: all tests redirect the XDG folders into a temp dir, and the hotkey tests fake gsettings, so they never touch your settings.
• Screenshots: they are rendered from the real QML, offscreen and frame by frame (no screen recording), so they can be regenerated after UI changes.

src/dotmorph/
  core/            conversion engine (no Qt)
    formats.py       catalog: extensions, categories, tools, menu order
    registry.py      builds the live matrix from installed tools
    converter.py     convert / convert_many (progress, cancel, parallel, dry run)
    common.py        options, safe temp files, subprocess runner
    presets.py       --preset web / email / thumb / print / share
    system.py        distro detection for install hints
    backends/        pillow, svg (librsvg), poppler, ghostscript, magick, ffmpeg,
                     office, pandoc
  ui/              the wheel
    window.py        Qt app + QML engine (one-shot and daemon)
    settings_window.py   `dotmorph settings`: the settings window and its backend
    i18n_qt.py       translations, right-to-left and Arabic font for QML
    dock.py          edge dock: snap, tab, half wheel, slide, undock
    bridge.py        Python <-> QML, jobs on a thread pool
    qml/             main.qml, Wheel.qml, RingSector.qml, Hub.qml, Theme.qml,
                     OptionsPanel.qml, EdgeTab.qml, CategoryIcon.qml,
                     SettingsWindow.qml (+ SetCard, SetRow, Seg, Toggle, Btn, SetSlider)
    icons/           dotmorph.svg
  linux/           desktop integration (no Qt at import time)
    daemon.py, ipc.py      instant-open daemon + Unix socket protocol
    integrate.py           file-manager menus, .desktop, icon
    hotkey.py              GNOME / Xfce shortcuts
    watch.py               inotify watcher + systemd user units
    notify.py, clipboard.py, paths.py
  settings.py      everything remembered between runs (settings.json)
  i18n.py          English / Arabic text
  completions.py   bash / zsh / fish completion scripts
  cli.py           subcommands
  app.py           entry point: CLI, or the wheel (through the daemon if running)
packaging/
  build.py         assets, check, notes, deb, appimage, aur (see docs/RELEASING.md)
  linux/           generated: .desktop, AppStream metainfo, man page, icons, completions
tests/
docs/              ROADMAP.md, PLAN.md, RELEASING.md, screenshots/
CHANGELOG.md

Issues and pull requests are welcome on GitHub. Start with CONTRIBUTING.md. It covers setup, where things live, how to add a backend or a translation, and the checks a pull request needs. Please follow the Code of Conduct, and report security problems privately as described in SECURITY.md.

If DotMorph saves you time, you can support it through GitHub Sponsors, Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee.

License

Apache 2.0 © FreeRave (Kareem). Part of DotSuite.