About WebP
Google introduced WebP in 2010, adapting the compression from its VP8 video codec for still images. Lossless compression, transparency and animation followed. It took a decade to become universal: Safari was the last major browser to support it, in 2020.
WebP covers the jobs of three older formats. Lossy WebP replaces JPG for photos, typically 25 to 35 percent smaller. Lossless WebP replaces PNG for graphics, usually somewhat smaller. And it can carry transparency even in lossy mode, which neither JPG nor PNG can do efficiently.
Where WebP fits
WebP is a delivery format for websites. It is excellent for that and awkward almost everywhere else: many upload forms, print services and older desktop apps still refuse it. That is why so many people end up with WebP files after saving images from web pages, and need WebP to JPG to use them.
A good pattern: keep originals in JPG, PNG or your camera's format, and convert copies to WebP when publishing. That way you can re-export at different sizes later without compressing twice.
Maximum size
WebP images are limited to 16,383 pixels on each side. That is rarely a problem for web images, but very large panoramas need to stay as JPG or be scaled down.
WebP at a glance
| First released | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | Yes |
| Animation or pages | Animation |
| Best for | Images on websites |
| Support | All current browsers; some apps and forms still refuse it |
Questions people ask
Do all browsers support WebP?
All current major browsers do. Only software many years out of date lacks support.
Is WebP lossless?
It can be either. Converters on this site use lossy WebP by default, with the quality you choose.
Why can my app not open WebP?
Support outside browsers is patchy. Convert the file to JPG or PNG first.