WebP
WebP is Google’s web image format, offering roughly 25–35% smaller files than JPG at comparable quality.
- File extension
- .webp
- MIME type
- image/webp
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- Yes, full alpha channel
- Animation
- Yes
- Type
- Raster (pixels)
Where WebP files come from
Saved from a website — Chrome and most modern sites serve WebP by default.
Excellent in browsers, poor outside them. This mismatch is why "save image" so often lands you a file nothing else will open.
What WebP is good at
- Noticeably smaller than JPG and PNG at matching quality
- Does both lossy and lossless, and supports transparency in either mode
- Supported by every current browser
Where WebP falls short
- Older desktop software, printers and photo kiosks often reject it
- Many websites, job portals and government forms still refuse .webp uploads
- Windows Photo Viewer and older Office versions cannot open it
Should you use WebP?
Use it for photographs, where its compression is doing exactly what it was designed to do. Avoid it for screenshots, diagrams and anything containing text — flat colour and sharp edges are precisely what lossy compression handles worst.
Convert from WebP
Convert to WebP
Frequently asked questions
What is WebP?
WebP is Google’s web image format, offering roughly 25–35% smaller files than JPG at comparable quality. Excellent in browsers, poor outside them. This mismatch is why "save image" so often lands you a file nothing else will open.
How do I open WebP files?
Any tool that lists WEBP support will open one. If yours will not, the quickest fix is to convert it to a format your software already understands — the converters linked on this page do that in your browser without uploading the file.
Is WebP lossy or lossless?
WebP is lossy: it discards detail the eye is unlikely to notice in exchange for a much smaller file. Every re-save loses a little more, so keep an untouched original if the image matters.
Does WebP support transparency?
Yes, WebP carries a full alpha channel, so soft edges and drop shadows survive intact. Converting to a format without alpha — JPG most commonly — flattens those areas onto a solid colour.