Open files in VS Code and Cursor / 3D and imaging
Check a DICOM series for patient data in VS Code
DICOM Viewer reads Patient's Name (0010,0010) and Patient ID (0010,0020) in every file of a series. When either is filled, a yellow "Not anonymized" bar names the values and counts the files. It also lists other identifying tags it finds, such as the birth date, address, accession number or institution. It is a check, not a de-identification tool. Text burned into the pixels and private tags are not checked. The viewer and the check are free and work offline. Zovo Pro (USD 19 once) adds Export DICOM tags to CSV and Convert DICOM to NIfTI, with 3 free tries each.
Free, MIT license. Extension ID zovo.dicom-nifti-viewer, version 0.2.2. Needs VS Code 1.90.0 or newer.
Also free from Zovo: TIFF Viewer & TIF Viewer, VS Code Marketplace · Open VSX (Cursor, Windsurf).
Steps in VS Code
- Install DICOM Viewer from the Marketplace, or press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on macOS) and run
ext install zovo.dicom-nifti-viewer. - For a folder of slices, right-click the folder in the Explorer and pick "Open Folder as DICOM Series". For one file, click the
.dcmfile or theDICOMDIR. If the folder holds several series, pick one from the list. - Look at the bar above the image. A yellow bar that starts with "Not anonymized" names the Patient's Name and Patient ID values and says in how many files of the series they are filled. When both are empty, a short grey line says so.
- Read the rest of that bar. It also names other identifying tags that are filled, such as Patient's Birth Date, Patient's Address, Accession Number, Institution Name or Referring Physician's Name.
- Press T (or click Tags) and type
patientin the search box. The Patient's Name and Patient ID rows are marked. Double-click a row to copy it. - Scroll through the slices. Text burned into the image, such as a name in a corner, is not checked, so look for it yourself.
Where Zovo Pro saves time
Opening DICOM files, DICOM folders and NIfTI files, window presets, the axial, coronal and sagittal views, the value under the cursor, the tag table, the anonymity check and Export PNG are free. Everything that is free today stays free.
When a whole folder has to be checked before you share it, Export DICOM tags to CSV reads the DICOM files in it and writes one CSV row per file. Summary gives the modality, dates, series, size, spacing, position and scanner, and says only whether Patient's Name and Patient ID are filled, so the CSV holds no names. Sort that column in Excel to find the files that still need work. Every tag gives one column per tag, patient data included. The other Pro tool, Convert DICOM to NIfTI, saves a series as a .nii.gz volume. The tools never write over a DICOM or NIfTI file.
With Export DICOM tags to CSV (Zovo Pro)
- Run "DICOM Viewer: Export DICOM Tags of a Folder to CSV (Zovo Pro)" from the Command Palette. With a series open, it uses that folder. Otherwise, pick the folder.
- Pick Summary (Patient's Name and Patient ID only as filled yes or no) or Every tag.
- Pick where to save the CSV. It opens in the editor, and a try counts only when the file is saved.
Export DICOM tags to CSV works 3 times on your computer before it asks for a license, and a try counts only when you get a result. Opening a file shows no popup and no countdown.
Zovo Pro costs USD 19 once. It is not a subscription, and it turns on the Pro tools in every Zovo extension, not only DICOM Viewer. After a card payment (Stripe) your license key shows on the next page. In VS Code, run "Zovo Pro: Enter Zovo Pro license key" from the Command Palette and paste it. The key is checked on your computer, with no network call. With GitHub Sponsors, pick the "$19 one time" tier, then run "Zovo Pro: I already paid: unlock with GitHub Sponsors" and sign in with the same GitHub account. With PayPal, send USD 19 with "Zovo Pro" in the note and the key comes by email within a day.
A team of 5: USD 59 once, by card or by PayPal. Every rule and every Pro tool is on the Zovo Pro page.
Steps in Cursor, Windsurf or VSCodium
- Open the Extensions view with Ctrl+Shift+X (Cmd+Shift+X on macOS).
- Search for
zovo.dicom-nifti-viewerand click Install. Cursor, Windsurf and VSCodium install from Open VSX, where it is published aszovo/dicom-nifti-viewer. - If your editor has no gallery, download the .vsix from the Open VSX page and run "Extensions: Install from VSIX...".
- Then use it the same way as in VS Code.
What DICOM Viewer handles
- Single
.dcm,.dicomand.imafiles, files without an extension, andDICOMDIR. - Folders of slices up to 4 folders deep, with a list to pick from when a folder holds several series.
- Patient's Name and Patient ID in every file of the series, plus birth date, address, telephone numbers, other patient IDs and names, accession number, institution and referring physician.
- Compressed files (JPEG, JPEG 2000 and others), which still open with their full tag table even when the image cannot be shown.
What it does not do
- It is a check, not a de-identification tool. It does not remove or change any tag, and the scan is never changed.
- Text burned into the pixels and private tags are not checked.
- Overlays, presentation states, segmentation objects, RT structures and DICOM SR content are not drawn. Their tags show in the table.
- Scans over 1024 MB are not read. The setting
dicomViewer.maxFileMBraises the limit up to 4096.
Other options
- pydicom. A free Python library.
pydicom.dcmread("file.dcm").PatientNamereads one tag. You write the loop over a folder yourself. - DCMTK dcmdump. Free command-line tools.
dcmdump file.dcmprints every tag of one file, and you search the output for the patient tags.
Install counts and Open VSX status were checked on 12 November 2026. Descriptions in quotes are the extensions' own.
Questions
Does the check look at every file?
It reads Patient's Name and Patient ID in every file of the series you open, and the bar says in how many files they are filled. When a folder holds several series, open each one from the list to check it.
Does it remove the patient data?
No. It never changes the file. Remove the tags with a de-identification tool, then open the result again to check it.
Is my scan sent anywhere?
No. DICOM Viewer makes no network calls and has no telemetry.
Does it work in Cursor or Windsurf?
Yes. Cursor, Windsurf and VSCodium install extensions from Open VSX. Search for the extension in their Extensions view and install it there.
More about DICOM Viewer
Read the DICOM Viewer page for every feature and setting, or the source code on GitHub.
Related guides
- TIFF Viewer & TIF Viewer on the VS Code Marketplace (also on Open VSX). Opens TIFF and GeoTIFF images, 16-bit included, in VS Code.
- Open DICOM and NIfTI files in VS Code
- DICOM to NIfTI in VS Code
- View STL files in VS Code
- Calculate the volume of an STL file
Support this work
If this extension saves you time, you can support the work on GitHub Sponsors. Monthly tiers start at $5, and one-time tiers start at $15. Sponsorship is optional, and the tool works the same without it.
Need your format supported?
Open a format request with a sample file, and I reply there whether it can be done. For USD 299 once, through this GitHub Sponsors tier, I add your file format or a missing feature to this extension, with tests, within 7 days.