Guides
How to Convert WebP and AVIF Images to JPG
Why images you download turn out to be WebP or AVIF, which programs struggle with them, and how to turn them into JPG in your browser in a few steps.
Author: Hemen Dönüştür Editör EkibiPublished: 6 min read
If a photo you saved from a website with "Save image as" lands on your disk as .webp or .avif, and you cannot open it in a program, upload it to a form or print it, the fix is usually simple: convert it to JPG. This guide explains why images arrive in these formats, which software struggles with them and how to convert them step by step.
Why are the images I download WebP or AVIF?
Websites want pages to load quickly, so they serve images as small files as possible. WebP and AVIF are modern formats built for exactly that:
- According to Google's WebP page, lossless WebP files are 26% smaller than PNGs, and lossy WebP files are 25 to 34% smaller than comparable JPEGs at equivalent quality.
- According to MDN's image format guide, lossy AVIF images are around 50% smaller than JPEG images.
MDN also recommends WebP or AVIF over PNG, JPEG and GIF for photos and similar raster images on the web. Many sites prepare several versions of the same image and your browser receives whichever format it supports. Because you use an up-to-date browser, you get the WebP or AVIF version, and that is the file "Save image as" writes to disk.
Where do WebP and AVIF cause problems?
Browsers now support these formats widely. MDN says WebP works in current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and Safari (on a Mac it needs Safari 14 and macOS Big Sur). AVIF support is newer: MDN lists it from Chrome 85, Edge 121, Opera 71, Firefox 93 and Safari 16.1.
The trouble usually happens outside the browser:
- Windows: according to the Microsoft Store description of the HEIF Image Extension, the AV1 Video Extension package must also be installed to view images with the
.avifextension. Without these packages, some Windows apps will not open an AVIF file. - Android: Android's developer documentation lists WebP decoding from Android 4.0 and AVIF decoding from Android 12. Older phones may not show AVIF images.
- Older software and forms: older photo editors, office programs, print services and many application forms accept only JPG or PNG. MDN also points out that AVIF support has little historical depth and that a fallback format should be provided.
The extension can lie: WebP files named .jpg
Some sites end an image's address in .jpg but actually send your browser a WebP or AVIF. The file you download is then called photo.jpg while the content is WebP, and an older program rejects it as "corrupted" or "unsupported". It works the other way too: renaming a WebP to .jpg does not turn it into a JPG. Changing the extension does not change the content; a real conversion is needed.
Our converter recognises a file's format from the signature in its first bytes, not from its extension. So you can add a file with a misleading name too; the tool detects the real format inside and converts it accordingly.
If you only want to open the file
If you just want to view the image on your own computer, converting is not the only option. Every current browser opens WebP and most open AVIF: drag the file into a browser window. On Windows, you can install the AV1 Video Extension from the Microsoft Store to open AVIF files in the Photos app. But if you will send the file to someone, upload it to a form or print it, you cannot be sure the other side has that support, and converting to JPG is the safest route.
How to convert WebP or AVIF to JPG
For these two formats our converter runs entirely in your browser: your files are not uploaded and never leave your device. There is nothing to install and no sign-up.
- Depending on the file, open the WebP to JPG converter or the AVIF to JPG converter.
- Drag and drop the images onto the page, or add them with the file picker. You can add several files at once.
- Check that JPG is selected as the output.
- Set the quality slider. It starts at 90%; lower it for smaller files or raise it to 100% for maximum quality.
- If the image has transparent areas, pick a background color (white by default).
- Press Convert and download the results one by one or together as a ZIP.
If your browser cannot decode an AVIF file by itself, the converter falls back to a decoder loaded into the page, still on your device, so it is worth trying even in an older browser.
A note on transparency
WebP and AVIF support transparency (an alpha channel), which is why logos, icons and product shots often come with a transparent background. JPG cannot store transparency. When you convert to JPG, transparent pixels become a solid color; our converter uses white by default and lets you choose another color.
If you need to keep the transparent background, choose PNG instead: the WebP to PNG and AVIF to PNG converters carry transparency over as it is. PNG is lossless, so the file can be noticeably larger than a JPG.
Quality and file size
WebP, AVIF and JPG can all use lossy compression. Converting a lossy file to JPG means compressing the image once more; at quality settings between 90% and 100% the extra loss is hard to see. JPG will, however, produce a larger file than WebP and especially AVIF for the same picture, because, as noted above, those formats compress more efficiently. If the JPG is over a site's upload limit, reduce it with the image compressor.
For animated WebP or AVIF files, JPG can only hold a single frame, so the first frame is converted.
Which format should you pick?
| Goal | Recommended format |
|---|---|
| Upload to a form, send by e-mail, print | JPG |
| Logo or icon with a transparent background | PNG |
| Fast-loading image on your own website | Keep it as WebP or AVIF |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to install software to convert WebP to JPG?
No. Our WebP to JPG converter runs in your browser; your files stay on your device and no extra program is needed.
Will the image lose quality?
Because all of these formats can be lossy, the image is compressed once more. Keep the quality at 90% or above and the difference is hard to see, at the cost of a slightly larger file.
What happens to a transparent WebP when I make it a JPG?
JPG cannot store transparency, so transparent areas are filled with the background color you choose, white by default. Convert to PNG if you need to keep the transparency.
Why is the AVIF file smaller than the JPG?
AVIF uses newer, more efficient compression. MDN puts lossy AVIF images at around half the size of comparable JPEGs, so it is normal for the converted JPG to be larger.
Can I convert several files at once?
Yes. You can add several WebP or AVIF files to the page; each one is converted separately, and you can download the results one by one or all together as a single ZIP file. Everything still happens in your browser.
Can I convert WebP or AVIF to JPG on my phone?
Yes. The converter pages work in a phone browser too; pick the file from your gallery or files and convert it to JPG.
