Horos Software Jun 2026

Understanding the for using it in a clinical setting

: As an LGPL-licensed project, the underlying code and architectural details are available on Comparison with OsiriX

Horos is a free, open-source medical imaging software specifically designed for macOS, serving as a powerful workstation for radiologists and medical researchers to view and manipulate DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) files . Key Features and Capabilities

Generating a report in , the free open-source DICOM viewer for macOS, typically involves using its built-in reporting tools or the Horos Cloud service to create professional summaries that include key images and diagnostic findings . Creating Reports in Horos

: The software is backed and sponsored by Nimble Co LLC (doing business as Purview), an organization dedicated to improving medical data accessibility globally. Key Features and Technical Capabilities horos software

Includes Multiplanar Reconstruction (MPR), Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP), and high-quality Volume Rendering for spatial analysis.

For clarity, this article focuses primarily on the standard open-source Horos, which is a powerful tool for research, education, and non-diagnostic clinical support.

Horos is not an island; it's designed to work within a hospital's existing infrastructure. It acts as both a and a Service Class User (SCU) . This means it can function as a server, responding to queries from other devices, and as a client, sending queries and retrieving images from other PACS nodes. It supports the full range of DICOM Query/Retrieve services (C-FIND, C-MOVE, C-GET). For enhanced security, it also supports the modern WADO (Web Access to DICOM Objects) protocol.

Horos is a free, open-source medical imaging software for macOS, derived from the OsiriX project. It provides a full suite of post-processing capabilities for Understanding the for using it in a clinical

Using the segmentation tools, users can export a surface mesh (STL file) from Horos for 3D printing. Surgeons use this for pre-operative planning of complex fractures or tumor resections.

Horos acts as a fully functional DICOM node. It can connect to local or cloud-based PACS networks, allowing users to query and retrieve patient studies directly into the local database, or push processed images back to the hospital server. 4. Extended Functionality via Plug-ins

A critical distinction must be made regarding the official usage of Horos:

The developers stripped away the commercial restrictions, ensuring that the global medical community would always have access to a fully unlocked, highly capable, and completely free medical image viewer. System Requirements and Installation It acts as both a and a Service Class User (SCU)

Before you can view images, you must import them into the Horos database.

In the rapidly evolving world of medical imaging, the ability to view, analyze, and share DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) files efficiently is paramount. For decades, hospitals and imaging centers have relied on expensive, proprietary workstations. However, a revolution began with the introduction of —a free, open-source medical image viewer that has become a favorite among radiologists, veterinarians, researchers, and even forensic pathologists.

Horos is built natively and exclusively for Apple’s ecosystem. It cannot run on Windows or Linux without complex virtual machine setups.