What Is a WebP File? How to Open It and Convert to JPG
What is a WebP file? Learn what Google's .webp image format is, how to open it on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, and how to convert it to JPG or PNG.
A WebP file (.webp) is an image saved in the file format Google developed for the web. WebP images are smaller than the same picture as a JPG or PNG, at almost the same quality, and they can be transparent like a PNG or animated like a GIF. You can open a WebP file in any current browser and in most photo apps.
Can't open a WebP file, or do you need a JPG or PNG instead? Below you'll find how that works on each device. If you run a website or an online store, read on to see why WebP makes your pages faster and how to use it without converting every photo by hand.
What is a WebP file?
WebP is an image format from Google, first presented in 2010. Its goal: make photos and graphics on websites smaller, so pages load faster. The file extension is .webp, and the MIME type, the label a server sends along with the file, is image/webp.
A WebP file uses one of two kinds of compression:
- Lossy: the encoder drops details your eye barely notices, just like JPG. According to Google, a lossy WebP is 25 to 34% smaller than a comparable JPG.
- Lossless: every pixel stays exactly the same, just like PNG. Google puts such a WebP at 26% smaller than a PNG.
On top of that, WebP supports transparency (an alpha channel) and animation. So one format does the job of JPG, PNG and GIF. Want to know when to choose which kind of compression? Read lossy vs lossless image compression.
WebP vs JPG, PNG and GIF
| Format | Compression | Transparency | Animation | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPG | lossy | no | no | photos from cameras and phones, older websites |
| PNG | lossless | yes | no | logos, screenshots, illustrations |
| GIF | lossless, up to 256 colors | only on or off | yes | short animations |
| WebP | lossy or lossless | yes | yes | modern websites and online stores |
WebP isn't the most common format yet, but its share keeps rising. According to the Web Almanac 2024 by HTTP Archive, 12% of the images on mobile web pages are WebP. JPG (32%) and PNG (28%) still appear more often, but WebP has gained three percentage points since 2022.
Why are you suddenly getting WebP files?
More and more websites send their images to your browser as WebP. Right-click and save such an image, and you end up with a .webp file on your computer. Your browser shows it without trouble, but an older photo app, a print service or an upload form sometimes refuses it.
Sometimes the name doesn't even give it away. An online store can send an image with the URL product-photo.jpg as WebP, because your browser tells the server with every request that it can handle WebP. The extension in the URL then says nothing about the content. Further down you'll see how to check that.
How to open a WebP file
On a computer, the fastest way is to drag the file into a Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari window. On a phone, or if you prefer a regular photo viewer or an editor, pick one of these options for your system.
Windows
- Photos and Paint: in Windows 11, both apps open WebP. Right-click the file, choose Open with and pick the app.
- Doesn't that work? Install the free Webp Image Extensions from Microsoft in the Microsoft Store. After that, Photos and Paint open the file.
- GIMP and XnView MP: free programs that open, edit and save WebP.
Mac
- Preview: on a recent version of macOS, Preview opens WebP files. Right-click the file and choose Open With > Preview.
- Finder: right-click and choose Quick Actions > Convert Image to turn the file into a JPG or PNG right away.
iPhone, iPad and Android
- iPhone and iPad: the Photos and Files apps show WebP.
- Android: Google Photos and most gallery apps open WebP. Android has been able to show the format since version 4.0.
Linux
Browsers, GIMP and ImageMagick open WebP. With dwebp from Google's free libwebp tools, you turn a WebP into a PNG.
Animated WebP files
An animated WebP plays in any current browser: drag it into a tab. Does your photo viewer show only a still image? Use the browser instead, or turn the file into a GIF with Ezgif.
Do you need internet to open a WebP file?
No. A WebP file is an ordinary image file on your device. Once you have saved it, you can open it offline in your browser or photo app.
Editing WebP files
To edit a WebP, pick a program that can also save the format. Photoshop has done this without a plugin since version 23.2 from February 2022. GIMP and the browser editor Photopea do it for free. Does your favorite program not work with WebP? Convert the file to PNG first, so you lose no quality.
How to convert WebP to JPG or PNG
Converting is quickest with software you already have. An online converter works too, but then you upload your file to an outside service. Don't do that with private photos or confidential images.
Changing the extension from .webp to .jpg does not make it a JPG. The content stays WebP, and a program that doesn't know WebP still won't open the file.
On Windows
- Open the WebP file in Paint.
- Choose File > Save as and pick JPEG picture or PNG picture.
On a Mac
- Open the file in Preview.
- Choose File > Export.
- Set the format to JPEG or PNG, set the quality for JPEG and click Save.
Have several files? Select them in Finder, right-click and choose Quick Actions > Convert Image. That converts them all in one go.
On iPhone and iPad
- Save the image to the Files app.
- Touch and hold the file, then tap Quick Actions > Convert Image.
- Choose JPEG or PNG as the format, then the size you want, for example Original.
Online converters
No suitable software on your computer? These are reliable options:
- Squoosh: a free tool from Google that converts the image in your own browser, without uploading it to a server.
- CloudConvert: converts to JPG, PNG and other formats, including several files at once.
- Ezgif: handy for animated WebP files, which you can also save as a GIF.
- FreeConvert: with settings for quality and size.
How to check if an image is WebP
An image URL can end in .jpg or .png while the content is WebP. So look at what the server actually sends. In Chrome or Edge, you do that like this:
- Open the page you want to check.
- Right-click the page and choose Inspect.
- Open the Network tab and click the Img filter.
- Reload the page.
- Look at the Type column: it shows webp, jpeg, png or avif for each image. Click an image and you'll find the same information under Headers as
content-type: image/webp.
Which browsers support WebP?
All current browsers show WebP. According to caniuse.com, over 97% of the browsers people use worldwide support the format (StatCounter usage data, September 2026).
| Browser | Supports WebP |
|---|---|
| Chrome (desktop and Android) | yes |
| Microsoft Edge | yes, from version 18 |
| Firefox | yes, from version 65 |
| Safari on iPhone and iPad | yes, from version 14 |
| Safari on Mac | yes, from version 14, fully from version 16 |
| Opera and Samsung Internet | yes |
| Internet Explorer | no |
The only browser that really drops out is Internet Explorer, and Microsoft ended support for it in 2022. A well-built website automatically sends such a browser a JPG or PNG instead.
Why use WebP on your website?
Images largely decide how fast a page feels. According to the Web Almanac 2024, an image is the largest element on screen during loading on 68% of mobile pages: the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). That metric counts toward the Core Web Vitals, the scores Google uses to judge the user experience of a page.
At the same quality, a WebP is smaller than a JPG or PNG. That saves loading time, especially on a mobile connection, and it saves data for you and your visitors. A faster page is more pleasant for your visitors and helps your SEO.
For an online store, this counts double. A single category page holds dozens of product photos, often straight from the camera or the supplier, sometimes several megabytes each.
How to get WebP images on your website
There are three ways, from manual work to fully automatic:
- Convert them yourself before you upload. With Squoosh or Google's command-line tool
cwebp, you turn each photo into a WebP. That works for a handful of images, but you then manage two versions of every photo. - Your CMS or store software. WordPress has accepted WebP uploads since version 5.8 from 2021. Check your platform's settings to see whether it creates WebP versions of your existing photos by itself.
- An image CDN. It sits between your site and your visitors and picks the lightest format each browser supports. Your originals stay as they are.
Hundreds of product photos? Let each browser get the right format
With hundreds or thousands of product photos, converting file by file doesn't scale. Every new photo has to go through the same steps again, in every size your site needs.
Afosto built Quicq for this: an image CDN for your online store. Quicq fetches your original photo once and serves it to each visitor in a format their browser supports: WebP where it can, an optimized JPG where it must. You set the size in the URL, for example ?w=400 for an image 400 pixels wide. All options are in edit images via the URL.
In our own test on 24 October 2026, the same 1600-pixel-wide photo came through Quicq at 165 kB as a JPG and at 108 kB as a WebP, about a third smaller. You don't change your originals and you don't upload anything again: only the image URL changes. Quicq works independently of your store platform, with guides for Magento, PrestaShop and Afosto webshops, among others.
Lots of product photos in your online store? Quicq serves them as WebP to every browser that supports it, without changing your originals. Create an account and try it on your own images.
WebP or AVIF?
AVIF is a newer image format that grew out of the AV1 video codec. At the same quality, an AVIF is often even smaller than a WebP, especially for photos. According to caniuse.com, over 96% of the browsers in use support AVIF; Safari does from version 16.4.
In practice, you'll come across WebP far more often. According to the Web Almanac 2024, 1% of the images on mobile pages are AVIF, against 12% WebP. Got an AVIF file anyway? The same browsers open it, and Squoosh and CloudConvert convert it to JPG or PNG. To see how the two formats compare on quality, compression and support, read AVIF vs WebP.
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What is a WebP file?
A WebP file is an image with the .webp extension, in the format Google developed for the web. WebP compresses with or without quality loss and supports transparency and animation. According to Google, a lossy WebP is 25 to 34% smaller than a comparable JPG, and a lossless WebP is 26% smaller than a PNG. You can open it in any current browser and in most photo apps.
How do I convert a WebP file to JPG?
On a Mac, open the file in Preview, choose File > Export and set the format to JPEG. On Windows, open it in Paint and choose File > Save as > JPEG picture. On iPhone and iPad, use the Convert Image quick action in the Files app. An online converter works too, but don't upload confidential photos to one.
How do I convert a WebP file to PNG?
It works the same way as converting to JPG: choose PNG instead of JPEG when you export or save the file. Pick PNG if the image has transparent areas, such as a logo without a background, or if you want to keep editing it. PNG keeps every pixel without loss, so the file usually ends up larger than the WebP you started with.
Why does my computer save images as WebP?
More and more websites send their images as WebP, because the format is smaller and makes pages load faster. When you save such an image, you get the file exactly as the website sent it: a .webp. Sometimes the URL even ends in .jpg while the content is WebP. Need a JPG? Export the file in Preview or Paint, or use a converter.
Can Photoshop open WebP files?
Yes. Since version 23.2 from February 2022, Photoshop opens, edits and saves WebP files without a plugin. You choose WebP as the format when you save a copy. On an older version, convert the file to PNG first. Looking for a free alternative? GIMP and the browser editor Photopea also open and save WebP files.
Can you use WebP images in WordPress?
Yes. WordPress has accepted WebP files in the media library since version 5.8 from 2021, and you upload them like any other image. By default, WordPress does not create WebP versions of your existing JPGs and PNGs. For that you need a plugin or an image CDN. Afterwards, check in your browser's developer tools whether your visitors really get WebP.