PRACTICAL GUIDES · RESEARCH & EDUCATION
DICOM Tag Editor for Mac & Windows: Edit Metadata
Edit DICOM tags on Mac and Windows: find a tag by name or value, change it and save it across a series. Pixel data stays read-only. Step-by-step guide.
Based on OmniDICOM 1.1.6 · Application interface: English
1. Work on a copy first
Save Changes writes directly into the original files of the selected series. It does not automatically create a backup. Copy the whole series to a separate folder and open that copy when you need to preserve the original metadata.
2. Open Metadata for the intended series
Select the series in the list on the left, then click Metadata in the toolbar. The DICOM Meta panel shows the series selected in that list, and its title names the file it read or how many series are selected. With several series of one patient selected, it lists only the values they share and Save Changes writes to all of them.
3. Find the field
The Filter tag/name/value field searches across the tag, name and displayed value. Try Series Description to find the description field. Names such as Patient ID or acquisition parameters help you locate other fields, but not every field is editable.
4. Edit an appropriate value
Double-click an editable value. Work on a copy and change Series Description to a useful research label. Avoid changing identifiers or geometry fields without understanding how your downstream tools use them. Sequences, the values inside them, pixel data and overlay data are read-only. The values inside a sequence are listed in grey right after its [Sequence: n items] row, and Save Changes writes only top-level fields.
5. Save and check the result
Select Save Changes to write edited tags across the series files. Reopen the copied series and check the value. If saving fails, inspect the reported error and file permissions; an unsaved on-screen edit is not proof that the files changed.
Common questions
Is metadata editing the same as anonymization?
No. Editing a name or ID does not remove every identifying tag, private field, document or text burned into pixels. Use a separately validated de-identification workflow before sharing patient data.
Why is Save Changes disabled?
It stays disabled until you change a value; it then turns blue with the number of changed values in brackets, and the changed values are shown in bold blue until they are saved. It is also disabled while no series is selected or when the metadata could not be read. When the selected series belong to different patients it is disabled too, and the panel title says mixed patients selected. If you select another series with unsaved changes, OmniDICOM asks whether to save them first.
Try OmniDICOM for 14 days
No card required to start a trial. After the trial, studies keep opening in five-minute sessions and image exports are watermarked; a Basic or Professional licence removes those limits.
OmniDICOM runs on Mac and Windows computers. Open this page on your computer to download it. Meanwhile, read the how-to guides or watch OmniDICOM at work on YouTube.
macOS 13+ · Apple silicon · signed, notarized PKG
Windows 10/11 · 64-bit · signed EXE