OHIF Viewer

OHIF Viewer is a free, open-source DICOM viewer that runs entirely in a web browser. It is built for IT teams, developers and imaging departments that want a zero-install viewer on top of their own image archive. Dental clinics and groups use it to give dentists and referrers browser access to CBCT and X-ray studies stored on a PACS such as Orthanc or dcm4chee.

There is no classic OHIF Viewer download or desktop installer. You either try the public demo, run the ready-made Docker image, enable the OHIF plugin in Orthanc, or build the web app from source and host it yourself. It is developed by the Open Health Imaging Foundation, with Massachusetts General Hospital as a founding member, and is released under the MIT licence.

OHIF Viewer at a glance

What it does

• Displays DICOM studies in the browser with no installation on the viewing computer.
• Connects to any archive that supports DICOMweb (QIDO-RS, WADO-RS, STOW-RS). Orthanc and dcm4chee are the two open-source archives covered in the official docs.
• Multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) with crosshairs, oblique slabs and maximum intensity projection.
• 3D volume rendering.
• Measurements (length, angle, area and more) with a measurement panel and longitudinal measurement tracking.
• Labelmap segmentation tools, plus display of DICOM SEG, RT STRUCT and DICOM Structured Reports.
• Opens DICOM PDF and video objects, and loads local DICOM files from your computer in the “local” mode.
• Can be embedded in another web application and customised through modes and extensions.

How dental teams use it

Browser access to a clinic PACS

1. Install Orthanc on a clinic server and send CBCT and X-ray studies to it over DICOM.
2. Enable the OHIF plugin in Orthanc. The Orthanc Windows installer includes it.
3. Staff open the Orthanc web interface in a browser, pick a study and open it in OHIF.

Checking a CBCT in three planes

1. Open the CBCT series in OHIF.
2. Switch the layout to MPR to see axial, coronal and sagittal views together.
3. Use the crosshairs to move through the jaw, then add length or angle measurements.

Viewing a disc without installing software

1. Open an OHIF deployment that has the local mode enabled.
2. Drag the DICOM files from the disc onto the page, or use the load button.
3. The files are read in the browser and open in the viewer.

The public demo at viewer.ohif.org is fine for trying the interface with its sample studies. Do not load patient data into any public site; use your own deployment for real cases.

Install and first run

• Try it: open the public demo at viewer.ohif.org. It shows the tools on anonymised sample studies.
• Docker: the official image is ohif/app on Docker Hub. For example, docker run -d -p 3000:80 ohif/app:v3.13.10 serves the viewer at http://localhost:3000. Supply your own app-config.js (as a mounted file or the APP_CONFIG variable) to point it at your archive.
• With Orthanc: the simplest route for a small clinic is the Orthanc OHIF plugin, so one server gives you both storage and a browser viewer.
• From source: clone the GitHub repository and build the static web app. The 3.13 release branch declares Node.js 24 or later and pnpm in its package.json; check it before you start.
• Gotcha 1: the default production build ships with a single read-only demo data source. Until you configure your own DICOMweb server, “No studies found” is normal.
• Gotcha 2: if the viewer and the archive are on different addresses, the archive must send CORS headers, or you put both behind one reverse proxy.

Limitations

• The official FAQ states that OHIF Viewer is not FDA-cleared or CE-marked, and not HIPAA-compliant on its own. Compliance is the user’s responsibility.
• It is a viewer, not an archive. You need a separate DICOMweb server for storage.
• No implant planning, implant libraries, nerve tracing or surgical guide design.
• Setting it up takes web and server skills: configuration files, reverse proxy, authentication. The deployment docs cover authentication only in part.
• No dental-specific mode: curved MPR or a panoramic view along the arch is not one of the documented features.

OHIF Viewer vs alternatives

For a larger, standards-heavy archive behind OHIF, see dcm4chee.

FAQ

Is there an OHIF Viewer download?

There is no desktop installer. You can use the Docker image ohif/app, the OHIF plugin for Orthanc, or the source code on GitHub.

Is OHIF Viewer free?

Yes. It is free and open source under the MIT licence, including for commercial use.

Can OHIF Viewer open local DICOM files?

Yes, when the local data source is enabled. You drag files onto the page and the browser reads them. The default production build leaves this mode switched off.

Is there an OHIF Viewer demo?

Yes. viewer.ohif.org hosts a public demo with sample studies. Do not upload patient data there.

How do I run OHIF Viewer in Docker?

Run the ohif/app image and map port 80 in the container to a local port, then give it an app-config.js that points to your DICOMweb server.

Does OHIF Viewer work with Orthanc and dcm4chee?

Yes. Both are documented DICOMweb sources, and Orthanc also has an official OHIF plugin.

Is OHIF Viewer FDA cleared?

No. The project says it is not FDA-cleared or CE-marked. Companies may build and seek clearance for their own products on top of it.

Last checked against official sources: 28 September 2026 (developer website: ohif.org). Versions and licence terms change — confirm on the developer's site before deploying in a clinic.