How to use it
- Drop in .jxl files.
- If your browser cannot read JPEG XL itself, a small decoder loads automatically.
- Download the JPGs.
Where JXL files come from
JPEG XL was standardised in 2022 as a modern successor to JPG. Apple adopted it for some camera and photo workflows, Adobe apps can export it, and some photographers use it for archiving because it compresses so well at high quality. Browser support has been slow and uneven, so plenty of software still shows an error when handed a .jxl file.
How this works in any browser
If your browser reads JPEG XL natively, it does the decoding. If not, the page loads libjxl, the reference decoder, compiled to WebAssembly, so the conversion works everywhere. Either way, nothing is uploaded.
Quality
JPEG XL images are often very high quality, so the default JPG quality here is 92 to keep as much of it as possible. Lower it if you need smaller files for email.
JPEG XL and JPG compared
| JPEG XL | JPG | |
|---|---|---|
| First released | 2022 | 1992 |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless | Lossy |
| Transparency | Yes | No |
| Animation or pages | Animation | No |
| Best for | High-quality photos and archiving | Photos for sharing, email and print |
| Support | Safari 17+; arriving in other browsers; patchy in apps | Universal |
Questions people ask
What is a .jxl file?
A JPEG XL image, a newer format designed as a successor to JPG.
My browser cannot open JXL. Will this work?
Yes. A WebAssembly decoder is used when the browser cannot decode JPEG XL itself.
Does JXL transparency carry over?
JPG has no transparency, so transparent areas are filled with the background colour. Use JXL to PNG to keep it.