Why images download as WebP or AVIF — and how to open or convert them

You right-click a picture on a website, save it, and get a file ending in .webp or .avif. Your photo editor will not open it, the upload form rejects it, and the print shop has never heard of it. Nothing is wrong with the picture — it is just in a newer format.

Why websites use these formats

WebP and AVIF compress images much better than JPG. A WebP is typically 25–35% smaller than a JPG of the same visible quality, and AVIF is often smaller still. Smaller images mean faster pages, so many websites convert their pictures automatically. When you save an image, your browser keeps the format the website sent.

What can open them

• Any current web browser — Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari display both formats. Dragging the file into a browser window is a quick way to view it.
• Recent operating systems open WebP in their built-in photo apps. AVIF support is newer; on Windows it may need the free AV1 Video Extension from the Microsoft Store.
• Image editors vary. Recent versions of most major editors open WebP; older software and many print and upload services still do not.

When a program refuses the file, converting it is the reliable fix.

Convert WebP to JPG or PNG

1. For photographs, use WebP to JPG. Set the quality to 85 or above, and choose a background colour for any transparent areas, since JPG cannot store transparency.
2. For logos, screenshots and images with transparent backgrounds, use WebP to PNG, which keeps transparency and loses nothing further.
3. Convert one file or a batch, then download them individually or as a ZIP.

Convert AVIF to JPG or PNG

AVIF to JPG uses your browser's own AVIF decoder, so it works in any browser that can display AVIF — current Chrome, Edge and Firefox, and Safari 16 or later. Choose JPG for photos or PNG for images with transparency or sharp text. If your browser reports that the file cannot be opened, updating the browser usually fixes it.

What happens to quality

Converting from WebP or AVIF to JPG is a second round of lossy compression, so a little more detail is lost. At quality 85 or above the difference is not visible in normal viewing. Converting to PNG loses nothing further, but cannot restore detail the WebP or AVIF already discarded, and the file will be larger. Expect the JPG to be bigger than the WebP or AVIF it came from; that is the cost of compatibility, not a sign of better quality.

Animated images

Both formats can hold animations. JPG and PNG cannot, so only the first frame is converted. To keep the animation, view or share the original file instead.

Converting many images at once

The Image Converter converts a mixed batch to JPG, PNG or WebP in one pass, with an optional maximum width to scale down large images at the same time.

Should you avoid WebP?

No — on websites it is the better format, and if you run a site you should probably be serving it. Convert only the copies that need to go somewhere that cannot read it. For more on choosing formats, see JPG, PNG, WebP or AVIF: which to use. And remember that a picture saved from a website belongs to whoever made it; converting it does not change who owns it.