What is a WebP file and how do you open or convert it?
Written for anyone who saved an image from a website as a .webp file and wants to open it, edit it or upload it to a form that only accepts JPG or PNG
Short answer
A WebP file (.webp) is an image format created by Google that packs photographs, transparent graphics and animations into files 25% to 34% smaller than JPG and about 26% smaller than PNG. Every current web browser, iPhone, Android phone, Mac and Windows 11 PC opens WebP natively, and when an older upload form or editor rejects a .webp file, you can convert it to PNG or JPG locally in your browser in two seconds.
On this page
If you right-click a photo on a news site, online shop or chat web app and save it to your computer, the downloaded file almost always ends in .webp instead of .jpg or .png. The image opens fine inside your web browser, and then refuses to import into an older desktop app, slide deck or government upload form.
Here is what is actually inside a .webp file, when you should keep it as WebP, and how to turn it into a standard PNG or JPG without uploading your image to a conversion server.
What a WebP file actually is
WebP is an open image format developed by Google and built around the RIFF (Resource Interchange File Format) container. While traditional formats force you to choose between JPEG (small file size for photos, no transparency, lossy only) and PNG (lossless pixels and full transparency, but heavy file sizes), WebP combines all three capabilities in a single format:
- Lossy compression (VP8): uses predictive block coding derived from the VP8 video keyframe codec. According to Google’s WebP benchmarks, lossy WebP files are 25% to 34% smaller than JPEG files at equivalent visual quality.
- Lossless compression (VP8L): reconstructs exact pixel values using spatial prediction, colour cache coding and LZ77 backward references, averaging 26% smaller than equivalent PNG files.
- 8-bit alpha channel transparency (
ALPH): works in both lossy and lossless modes, so a transparent cutout or sticker does not have to pay the file-size penalty of a lossless PNG. - Animation (
ANIM/ANMF): stores multi-frame animations with 24-bit colour and 8-bit transparency at a fraction of the byte size of an old 256-colour GIF.
WebP versus PNG and JPG: side-by-side comparison
| Feature | WebP (.webp) | PNG (.png) | JPEG (.jpg / .jpeg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression type | Both lossy (VP8) and lossless (VP8L) | Lossless only (DEFLATE) | Lossy only (DCT) |
| Transparency (alpha) | Yes (8-bit alpha in both lossy and lossless) | Yes (8-bit or 16-bit alpha) | No (transparent areas become solid) |
| Animation support | Yes (multi-frame ANIM chunks) | No (unless using separate APNG extension) | No |
| Typical photo size | Smallest (25% to 34% smaller than JPG) | Very large (3 to 6 times larger than WebP) | Small and predictable |
| Metadata chunks | EXIF, XMP, ICCP (including GPS and C2PA) | eXIf, iTXt, tEXt, cHRM, iCCP | APP1 (EXIF/XMP), APP2 (ICC), APP11 (C2PA) |
| Where it fails | Older government portals, legacy office templates, some print kiosks | Strict upload portals with 50 KB or 100 KB size caps | Logos or stickers that need a transparent background |
How to open a WebP file on any device
You rarely need to install special software just to view a .webp image:
- iPhone and iPad (iOS 14 and later): Apple’s Files app and Photos app open WebP files natively. If you save a WebP image from Safari into Photos, you can view, crop and share it just like a JPEG or HEIC photo.
- Android: Google Photos and the system Files app have supported WebP natively since Android 4.0.
- Mac (macOS Big Sur 11 and later): select the file in Finder and press Spacebar for Quick Look, or double-click to open it in Preview. Inside Preview you can also choose File > Export and pick PNG or JPEG.
- Windows 10 and 11: the built-in Photos app and Paint open WebP files directly, and Paint lets you choose File > Save as > PNG picture or JPEG picture.
- Any computer with a web browser: drag the
.webpfile from your desktop or folder onto an open tab in Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge.
One trap to avoid: do not simply rename photo.webp to photo.png or photo.jpg in Finder or File Explorer. Changing the filename extension does not change the RIFF....WEBP bytes inside the file, and upload forms that inspect file headers will reject a renamed file as corrupted.
How to convert a WebP file to PNG or JPG
When an application, print lab or upload form refuses .webp, convert the file properly in your browser so the pixel data is re-encoded with genuine PNG or JPEG headers:
- Decide whether you need transparency or lossless editing (pick WebP to PNG) or a smaller photographic file for an upload portal (pick WebP to JPG).
- Open the converter in your browser and drop one or more WebP files onto the page.
- If converting to JPG, pick your quality level and choose the background fill colour for any transparent pixels.
- Click Download on each converted file to save the new PNG or JPG straight to your device.
Because both our WebP to PNG converter and WebP to JPG converter decode the image on a local browser canvas on your device, your files are never uploaded to a remote server, and any hidden EXIF or XMP metadata tags inside the original WebP container are left out of the new file. If you want to inspect what metadata a WebP file holds without changing its format, drop it into the photo metadata remover.
Questions
Why do images saved from Chrome or Safari download as .webp?
Modern websites serve images in WebP because smaller files load faster on mobile networks and use less bandwidth. When you right-click and choose Save Image As, the browser saves the exact WebP file the server sent.
Should I convert WebP to PNG or to JPG?
Convert WebP to PNG when the image has a transparent background, sharp text, logos or UI screenshots where you want zero new compression loss. Convert WebP to JPG when you are uploading a photograph to a government portal, job form or print kiosk that requires a small .jpg file.
Does converting WebP to PNG make the image sharper?
No. Converting to lossless PNG preserves every pixel present in the WebP without adding new compression artifacts, so it is ideal before editing, but it cannot invent detail that was already discarded when a lossy WebP was first saved.
Can WebP files hold GPS location and EXIF metadata?
Yes. The RIFF container inside a WebP file can hold EXIF, XMP and ICC colour profile chunks, including GPS coordinates and C2PA Content Credentials. Converting or cleaning the file in our browser tools strips those metadata chunks.
How do I open a WebP file on Mac or Windows without converting it?
On macOS Big Sur and later, press Spacebar for Quick Look or double-click to open in Preview. On Windows 11, open the file in the built-in Photos app or Paint, or drag it into any browser window (Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge).
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