VkFormatFeatureFlagBits(3)

# VkFormatFeatureFlagBits(3) Manual Page

## Name

VkFormatFeatureFlagBits - Bitmask specifying features supported by a buffer

## C Specification

Bits which can be set in the VkFormatProperties features `linearTilingFeatures`, `optimalTilingFeatures`, VkDrmFormatModifierPropertiesEXT::`drmFormatModifierTilingFeatures`, and `bufferFeatures` are:

Warning | This functionality is superseded by VkFormatFeatureFlagBits2. See Legacy Functionality for more information.

    // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_0
    typedef enum VkFormatFeatureFlagBits {
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_BIT = 0x00000001,
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_STORAGE_IMAGE_BIT = 0x00000002,
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_STORAGE_IMAGE_ATOMIC_BIT = 0x00000004,
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_UNIFORM_TEXEL_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000008,
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_STORAGE_TEXEL_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000010,
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_STORAGE_TEXEL_BUFFER_ATOMIC_BIT = 0x00000020,
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_VERTEX_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000040,
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_BIT = 0x00000080,
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_BLEND_BIT = 0x00000100,
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_DEPTH_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_BIT = 0x00000200,
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_BLIT_SRC_BIT = 0x00000400,
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_BLIT_DST_BIT = 0x00000800,
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_FILTER_LINEAR_BIT = 0x00001000,
      // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_1
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_TRANSFER_SRC_BIT = 0x00004000,
      // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_1
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_TRANSFER_DST_BIT = 0x00008000,
      // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_1
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_MIDPOINT_CHROMA_SAMPLES_BIT = 0x00020000,
      // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_1
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_LINEAR_FILTER_BIT = 0x00040000,
      // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_1
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_SEPARATE_RECONSTRUCTION_FILTER_BIT = 0x00080000,
      // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_1
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_CHROMA_RECONSTRUCTION_EXPLICIT_BIT = 0x00100000,
      // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_1
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_CHROMA_RECONSTRUCTION_EXPLICIT_FORCEABLE_BIT = 0x00200000,
      // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_1
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_DISJOINT_BIT = 0x00400000,
      // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_1
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_COSITED_CHROMA_SAMPLES_BIT = 0x00800000,
      // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_2
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_FILTER_MINMAX_BIT = 0x00010000,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_video_decode_queue
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_VIDEO_DECODE_OUTPUT_BIT_KHR = 0x02000000,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_video_decode_queue
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_VIDEO_DECODE_DPB_BIT_KHR = 0x04000000,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_acceleration_structure
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_ACCELERATION_STRUCTURE_VERTEX_BUFFER_BIT_KHR = 0x20000000,
      // Provided by VK_EXT_filter_cubic
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_FILTER_CUBIC_BIT_EXT = 0x00002000,
      // Provided by VK_EXT_fragment_density_map
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_FRAGMENT_DENSITY_MAP_BIT_EXT = 0x01000000,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_fragment_shading_rate
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_FRAGMENT_SHADING_RATE_ATTACHMENT_BIT_KHR = 0x40000000,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_video_encode_queue
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_VIDEO_ENCODE_INPUT_BIT_KHR = 0x08000000,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_video_encode_queue
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_VIDEO_ENCODE_DPB_BIT_KHR = 0x10000000,
      // Provided by VK_IMG_filter_cubic
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_FILTER_CUBIC_BIT_IMG = VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_FILTER_CUBIC_BIT_EXT,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_maintenance1
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_TRANSFER_SRC_BIT_KHR = VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_TRANSFER_SRC_BIT,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_maintenance1
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_TRANSFER_DST_BIT_KHR = VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_TRANSFER_DST_BIT,
      // Provided by VK_EXT_sampler_filter_minmax
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_FILTER_MINMAX_BIT_EXT = VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_FILTER_MINMAX_BIT,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_sampler_ycbcr_conversion
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_MIDPOINT_CHROMA_SAMPLES_BIT_KHR = VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_MIDPOINT_CHROMA_SAMPLES_BIT,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_sampler_ycbcr_conversion
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_LINEAR_FILTER_BIT_KHR = VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_LINEAR_FILTER_BIT,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_sampler_ycbcr_conversion
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_SEPARATE_RECONSTRUCTION_FILTER_BIT_KHR = VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_SEPARATE_RECONSTRUCTION_FILTER_BIT,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_sampler_ycbcr_conversion
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_CHROMA_RECONSTRUCTION_EXPLICIT_BIT_KHR = VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_CHROMA_RECONSTRUCTION_EXPLICIT_BIT,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_sampler_ycbcr_conversion
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_CHROMA_RECONSTRUCTION_EXPLICIT_FORCEABLE_BIT_KHR = VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_CHROMA_RECONSTRUCTION_EXPLICIT_FORCEABLE_BIT,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_sampler_ycbcr_conversion
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_DISJOINT_BIT_KHR = VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_DISJOINT_BIT,
      // Provided by VK_KHR_sampler_ycbcr_conversion
        VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_COSITED_CHROMA_SAMPLES_BIT_KHR = VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_COSITED_CHROMA_SAMPLES_BIT,
    } VkFormatFeatureFlagBits;

## Description

These values all have the same meaning as the equivalently named values for VkFormatFeatureFlags2 and may be set in `linearTilingFeatures`, `optimalTilingFeatures`, and VkDrmFormatModifierPropertiesEXT::`drmFormatModifierTilingFeatures`, specifying that the features are supported by images or image views or sampler Y′CBCR conversion objects created with the queried vkGetPhysicalDeviceFormatProperties::`format`:

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_BIT specifies that an image view can be sampled from.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_STORAGE_IMAGE_BIT specifies that an image view can be used as a storage image.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_STORAGE_IMAGE_ATOMIC_BIT specifies that an image view can be used as storage image that supports atomic operations.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_BIT specifies that an image view can be used as a framebuffer color attachment and as an input attachment.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_BLEND_BIT specifies that an image view can be used as a framebuffer color attachment that supports blending.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_DEPTH_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_BIT specifies that an image view can be used as a framebuffer depth/stencil attachment and as an input attachment.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_BLIT_SRC_BIT specifies that an image can be used as `srcImage` for the `vkCmdBlitImage2` and `vkCmdBlitImage` commands.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_BLIT_DST_BIT specifies that an image can be used as `dstImage` for the `vkCmdBlitImage2` and `vkCmdBlitImage` commands.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_FILTER_LINEAR_BIT specifies that if VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_BIT is also set, an image view can be used with a sampler that has either of `magFilter` or `minFilter` set to VK_FILTER_LINEAR, or `mipmapMode` set to VK_SAMPLER_MIPMAP_MODE_LINEAR. If VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_BLIT_SRC_BIT is also set, an image can be used as the `srcImage` to `vkCmdBlitImage2` and `vkCmdBlitImage` with a `filter` of VK_FILTER_LINEAR. This bit must only be exposed for formats that also support the VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_BIT or VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_BLIT_SRC_BIT.

  If the format being queried is a depth/stencil format, this bit only specifies that the depth aspect (not the stencil aspect) of an image of this format supports linear filtering, and that linear filtering of the depth aspect is supported whether depth compare is enabled in the sampler or not. Where depth comparison is supported it may be linear filtered whether this bit is present or not, but where this bit is not present the filtered value may be computed in an implementation-dependent manner which differs from the normal rules of linear filtering. The resulting value must be in the range [0,1] and should be proportional to, or a weighted average of, the number of comparison passes or failures.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_TRANSFER_SRC_BIT specifies that an image can be used as a source image for copy commands. If the application `apiVersion` is Vulkan 1.0 and `VK_KHR_maintenance1` is not supported, VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_TRANSFER_SRC_BIT is implied to be set when the format feature flag is not 0.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_TRANSFER_DST_BIT specifies that an image can be used as a destination image for copy commands and clear commands. If the application `apiVersion` is Vulkan 1.0 and `VK_KHR_maintenance1` is not supported, VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_TRANSFER_DST_BIT is implied to be set when the format feature flag is not 0.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_FILTER_MINMAX_BIT specifies `VkImage` can be used as a sampled image with a min or max VkSamplerReductionMode. This bit must only be exposed for formats that also support the VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_BIT.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_FILTER_CUBIC_BIT_EXT specifies that `VkImage` can be used with a sampler that has either of `magFilter` or `minFilter` set to VK_FILTER_CUBIC_EXT, or be the source image for a blit with `filter` set to VK_FILTER_CUBIC_EXT. This bit must only be exposed for formats that also support the VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_BIT. If the format being queried is a depth/stencil format, this only specifies that the depth aspect is cubic filterable.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_MIDPOINT_CHROMA_SAMPLES_BIT specifies that an application can define a sampler Y′CBCR conversion using this format as a source, and that an image of this format can be used with a VkSamplerYcbcrConversionCreateInfo `xChromaOffset` and/or `yChromaOffset` of VK_CHROMA_LOCATION_MIDPOINT. Otherwise both `xChromaOffset` and `yChromaOffset` must be VK_CHROMA_LOCATION_COSITED_EVEN. If a format does not incorporate chroma downsampling (it is not a “422” or “420” format) but the implementation supports sampler Y′CBCR conversion for this format, the implementation must set VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_MIDPOINT_CHROMA_SAMPLES_BIT.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_COSITED_CHROMA_SAMPLES_BIT specifies that an application can define a sampler Y′CBCR conversion using this format as a source, and that an image of this format can be used with a VkSamplerYcbcrConversionCreateInfo `xChromaOffset` and/or `yChromaOffset` of VK_CHROMA_LOCATION_COSITED_EVEN. Otherwise both `xChromaOffset` and `yChromaOffset` must be VK_CHROMA_LOCATION_MIDPOINT. If neither VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_COSITED_CHROMA_SAMPLES_BIT nor VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_MIDPOINT_CHROMA_SAMPLES_BIT is set, the application must not define a sampler Y′CBCR conversion using this format as a source.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_LINEAR_FILTER_BIT specifies that an application can define a sampler Y′CBCR conversion using this format as a source with `chromaFilter` set to VK_FILTER_LINEAR.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_SEPARATE_RECONSTRUCTION_FILTER_BIT specifies that the format can have different chroma, min, and mag filters.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_CHROMA_RECONSTRUCTION_EXPLICIT_BIT specifies that reconstruction is explicit, as described in https://registry.khronos.org/vulkan/specs/latest/html/vkspec.html#textures-chroma-reconstruction. If this bit is not present, reconstruction is implicit by default.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_CHROMA_RECONSTRUCTION_EXPLICIT_FORCEABLE_BIT specifies that reconstruction can be forcibly made explicit by setting VkSamplerYcbcrConversionCreateInfo::`forceExplicitReconstruction` to VK_TRUE. If the format being queried supports VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_CHROMA_RECONSTRUCTION_EXPLICIT_BIT it must also support VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_SAMPLED_IMAGE_YCBCR_CONVERSION_CHROMA_RECONSTRUCTION_EXPLICIT_FORCEABLE_BIT.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_DISJOINT_BIT specifies that a multi-planar image can have the VK_IMAGE_CREATE_DISJOINT_BIT set during image creation. An implementation must not set VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_DISJOINT_BIT for single-plane formats.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_FRAGMENT_DENSITY_MAP_BIT_EXT specifies that an image view can be used as a fragment density map attachment.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_FRAGMENT_SHADING_RATE_ATTACHMENT_BIT_KHR specifies that an image view can be used as a fragment shading rate attachment. An implementation must not set this feature for formats with a numeric format other than `UINT`, or set it as a buffer feature.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_VIDEO_DECODE_OUTPUT_BIT_KHR specifies that an image view with this format can be used as a decode output picture in video decode operations.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_VIDEO_DECODE_DPB_BIT_KHR specifies that an image view with this format can be used as an output reconstructed picture or an input reference picture in video decode operations.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_VIDEO_ENCODE_INPUT_BIT_KHR specifies that an image view with this format can be used as an encode input picture in video encode operations.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_VIDEO_ENCODE_DPB_BIT_KHR specifies that an image view with this format can be used as an output reconstructed picture or an input reference picture in video encode operations.

  Note | Specific video profiles may have additional restrictions on the format and other image creation parameters corresponding to image views used by video coding operations that can be enumerated using the vkGetPhysicalDeviceVideoFormatPropertiesKHR command.

The following bits may be set in `bufferFeatures`, specifying that the features are supported by buffers or buffer views created with the queried vkGetPhysicalDeviceFormatProperties::`format`:

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_UNIFORM_TEXEL_BUFFER_BIT specifies that the format can be used to create a buffer view that can be bound to a VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_UNIFORM_TEXEL_BUFFER descriptor.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_STORAGE_TEXEL_BUFFER_BIT specifies that the format can be used to create a buffer view that can be bound to a VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_STORAGE_TEXEL_BUFFER descriptor.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_STORAGE_TEXEL_BUFFER_ATOMIC_BIT specifies that atomic operations are supported on VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_STORAGE_TEXEL_BUFFER with this format.

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_VERTEX_BUFFER_BIT specifies that the format can be used as a vertex attribute format (`VkVertexInputAttributeDescription`::`format`).

- VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_ACCELERATION_STRUCTURE_VERTEX_BUFFER_BIT_KHR specifies that the format can be used as the vertex format when creating an acceleration structure (`VkAccelerationStructureGeometryTrianglesDataKHR`::`vertexFormat`). This format can also be used as the vertex format in host memory when doing host acceleration structure builds.

Note | VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_STORAGE_IMAGE_ATOMIC_BIT and VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_STORAGE_TEXEL_BUFFER_ATOMIC_BIT are only intended to be advertised for single-component formats, since SPIR-V atomic operations require a scalar type.

## See Also

VK_VERSION_1_0, VkFormatFeatureFlags

## Document Notes

For more information, see the Vulkan Specification.

This page is extracted from the Vulkan Specification. Fixes and changes should be made to the Specification, not directly.

## Copyright

Copyright 2014-2026 The Khronos Group Inc.

SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0