# picture\_search

picture\_search is a plugin that allows you to search for, and inspect pictures that are embedded in the binary.

The key feature of the plugin is the "Search for pictures" action, available in the ["Search"](/core/user-interface/reference/menu-bar-actions/search.md) menu, that will scan the entire binary (or the selection if there is one) for so-called "magic" numbers of well-known image types (PNG, JPEG, ...), and present the results in a tabular fashion:

```
                 [Address]         |[Format]
        .noptrdata:0000000000511620|GIF89a
        .noptrdata:00000000005133E0|PNG
        .noptrdata:0000000000517460|JPEG
        .noptrdata:000000000051ADA0|BMP
```

Note: at this point, pictures have not been decoded yet; the plugin has merely spotted what looks like the start of pictures. Decoding will only happen when triggering any of the following actions.

Double-clicking any row of that list will show the picture directly in IDA. Opening the context menu will reveal even more possibilities: open the picture in the OS's default viewer, save it, jump to its start address...

In addition to this very handy scanning feature, the plugin will add the "Open picture" action to the disassembly listing's context menu when the current position happens to be near data that matches the well-known image types' magic numbers.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.hex-rays.com/extensions/plugins/concepts/plugins-shipped-with-ida/picture_search.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
