What Is a WebP File? How to Open It and Convert It to JPG

Published 2026-10-27

You save an image from a website and it arrives as a .webp file, which an app or upload form then refuses to open. WebP is a modern image format that’s great for websites but still unfamiliar to some software. Here’s what it is and how to deal with it.

What WebP is

WebP is an image format created by Google and released in 2010. It can compress photos like JPG (lossy) or keep every pixel like PNG (lossless), and it supports transparency and animation too. Its main advantage is size: WebP images are typically noticeably smaller than JPG or PNG files of similar quality, so pages load faster. That’s why many websites now serve images as WebP.

How to open a WebP file

  • Any web browser: Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari all open WebP. Drag the file into a browser window.
  • Windows: the Photos app opens WebP images on current versions of Windows.
  • Mac: Preview and Photos open WebP on recent versions of macOS.
  • iPhone and Android: current versions show WebP images in Photos and most gallery apps.

The trouble usually comes later: older editing programs, some printers, and many upload forms only accept JPG or PNG.

How to convert WebP to JPG or PNG

  1. Open the WebP to JPG converter.
  2. Choose one or more WebP files.
  3. Pick JPG for photos, or PNG to keep transparency.
  4. Download the files individually or as a ZIP.

The conversion happens in your browser, so the images aren’t uploaded. On a Mac, you can also open the file in Preview and use File → Export to save it as JPG or PNG.

Should you use WebP on your own website?

Usually, yes. All current major browsers support it, and smaller images help pages load faster, which improves the experience for visitors and is part of Google’s page experience signals. Many content management systems and image CDNs now create WebP versions automatically. Keep JPG or PNG copies for places that need them, such as email newsletters or downloads.

WebP vs JPG vs PNG

  • Photos on websites: WebP, or JPG if you need maximum compatibility.
  • Graphics with transparency on websites: WebP or PNG.
  • Sending to people, printing, uploading to forms: JPG or PNG.

Our guide to PNG vs JPG explains the older two formats in more detail, and the PNG to JPG converter handles PNG files.

Common questions

  • Why does Chrome save images as WebP? It saves whatever format the website sent, and many sites send WebP because it’s smaller.
  • Is WebP lower quality than JPG? Not necessarily. At similar file sizes, WebP often looks as good or better. Converting WebP to JPG won’t improve quality, though.
  • Can WebP be animated? Yes. Animated WebP files are an alternative to GIFs, usually much smaller.