You right-click a picture in the browser, choose „Save image as“, and end up with a .webp file. Most websites now serve images in WebP because it is smaller, but the file you saved is less welcome elsewhere: an older photo editor refuses it, a print shop or a job portal wants JPG, a document template will not take it. Converting to JPG gives you a file that works everywhere.
Where WebP comes from
Google announced WebP on 30 September 2010 as a way to make web pages load faster. Lossy WebP is built on the intra-frame coding of the VP8 video codec; in 2011 Google added a lossless mode and transparency, and the format also supports animation and EXIF, XMP and colour profile chunks. Google's own measurements give lossy WebP files 25–34 % smaller than JPEG at equivalent quality (SSIM) and lossless WebP 26 % smaller than PNG. Since November 2024 the format is described in RFC 9649.
Support arrived unevenly. Chrome and Android read WebP early, Safari only from version 14 in 2020, and Photoshop opened WebP natively only from version 23.2 in February 2022. Much software in offices, print shops and older systems still does not.
What our converter does with a WebP file
- Processed on our own servers in the Czech Republic.
- Quality 90, same dimensions. Nothing is scaled or cropped. A WebP has at most 16 383 pixels per side, so any WebP fits.
- Transparency becomes white. JPG has no alpha channel. A logo or product cut-out with a transparent background gets a white one. If you need to keep transparency, convert to PNG instead.
- Animated WebP: first frame only. The JPG is a still picture of the first frame. For animation, GIF is the format that keeps it.
- Metadata is kept when the WebP has any: EXIF, XMP and the ICC colour profile are copied into the JPG. Images saved from websites usually carry none, because publishers strip it to save bytes.
Why the JPG is bigger than the WebP
That is expected. JPEG needs more bytes for the same picture, and a lossy WebP converted to JPEG at quality 90 often grows by half or more. Converting at a lower quality would make it smaller, but it would add a second round of compression artefacts on top of those already in the WebP. For a picture that went through lossy compression once, a high JPEG quality is the safer choice.
Common problems and how to fix them
WebP can't be opened in Photoshop
Photoshop 2022 from version 23.2 onward open WebP directly. Older versions need a plug-in, or convert the file to JPG first. The same applies to older versions of other editors and to many DTP and office programs.
Website or form does not accept WebP
Upload forms on job portals, e-shops, insurance and government sites usually list JPG, PNG and PDF. Convert to JPG and upload again. If you need several pictures in one document, merge the JPGs with JPG to PDF.
Transparent background turned white
JPG cannot store transparency, so this is unavoidable in JPG. Use PNG for logos, icons and cut-outs.
The image looks blurry
Websites often deliver a reduced copy, sized for the page. Conversion cannot add detail that is not in the file. Look for a larger version (zoomed view, „original“ link) and convert that.
Other ways to do it
- Windows 11: open the WebP in Paint and use Save as › JPEG picture.
- macOS (Big Sur and newer): open it in Preview, choose File › Export and select JPEG.
- Photoshop 23.2+, GIMP: open and export as JPG.
For a single picture these are fine. The converter is handy for a batch: up to 10 files at once, 100 MB each, results in one ZIP. It works the same on Linux, a Chromebook or a phone, without installing anything.
WebP and JPG compared
| WebP | JPG | |
|---|---|---|
| Introduced | 2010, Google | 1992, ISO/IEC 10918-1 |
| Compression | lossy (VP8) or lossless | lossy |
| Transparency | yes | no |
| Animation | yes | no |
| Maximum size | 16 383 × 16 383 px | 65 535 × 65 535 px |
| Software support | browsers, newer editors | practically everything |
Further reading: Google's WebP documentation and the Library of Congress format description. Going the other way, from PNG, see PNG to JPG.