How to convert WebP to JPG (or PNG) on any device

You save an image from a website and it arrives as a .webp file that your editor, upload form or older app refuses to open. Converting it to JPG or PNG takes a few seconds and costs nothing. Here’s how, which of the two to choose, and why so many images download as WebP in the first place.

Why images download as WebP

WebP is a modern image format from Google that makes files around a quarter to a third smaller than JPG at the same quality. Because smaller images make pages load faster, most large websites now serve WebP to any browser that supports it, which is every current one. So “Save image as” gives you the WebP the site actually sent. Our guide to image formats explains the trade-offs.

Every browser displays WebP, but some desktop editors, Office versions, print services and upload forms still don’t accept it. That’s when you need JPG or PNG.

JPG or PNG?

• JPG for photos. It keeps the file small and is accepted everywhere.
• PNG for logos, icons, screenshots and anything with a transparent background. PNG is lossless and keeps transparency; JPG fills transparent areas with a solid colour.

Not sure? If the image has a transparent background or text, choose PNG. Otherwise choose JPG.

How to convert WebP to JPG or PNG in your browser

1. Open the image converter set to JPEG, or WebP to PNG for a PNG.
2. Drop in your .webp files. Select several at once to convert a batch.
3. For JPG, keep the quality around 80 to 90. PNG has no quality setting because it’s lossless.
4. Download the file, or the whole batch as one ZIP.

The conversion happens in your browser, so the images aren’t uploaded, and there’s no limit on how many you convert.

Other ways to convert WebP

• Mac: open the WebP in Preview, then File → Export and choose JPEG or PNG.
• Windows: recent versions of Paint open WebP; use File → Save as and pick JPEG or PNG.
• Screenshot: a last resort. It works, but you lose resolution and get whatever is on screen rather than the original image.

These are fine for a single image. For several at once, or to control quality and size, a converter is quicker.

Does converting WebP lose quality?

Converting to PNG adds no loss: every pixel of the WebP is stored exactly, though the file is usually bigger. Converting to JPG compresses the image again, but at quality 80–90 the difference is invisible at normal size. Neither can restore detail the WebP’s own compression already removed, so convert the largest version of the image you can find.

Frequently asked questions