How does this WebP to PNG converter work?
It uses the image tools already built into your browser, so your files never travel anywhere. The browser decodes the WebP, paints the pixels onto an invisible canvas, then asks the canvas to export a PNG. That is the whole trip.
Most online converters upload your file, convert it on a server and send it back. That adds a wait, a size cap and a copy of your image on someone else's disk. Here your own processor does the work, one file at a time to keep memory in check.
- Decode: the browser's own decoder reads the file. Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari all include a WebP decoder, so the same page works everywhere.
- Draw: the pixels are painted onto a canvas at the original size, or at your max width if you set one.
- Export: the canvas saves the pixels as PNG, JPG or WebP. PNG output is lossless, so every decoded pixel, including partly transparent ones, is stored exactly.
- Package: Download all builds a standard ZIP in the page itself. Files are stored without extra compression because PNG, JPG and WebP are already compressed.
Why do images save as WebP?
Images save as WebP because that is the file the website actually sent you. Many sites and image CDNs detect that your browser accepts WebP and serve it instead of JPG or PNG, since it is smaller and loads faster. When you right-click and choose Save image as, Chrome saves those bytes as they arrived.
Browsers tell servers which image formats they understand in the Accept request header. Chrome's header lists image/webp and image/avif, so a server that has both versions picks the lighter one. Google's own performance audit, Lighthouse, flags pages that still serve older formats, which pushes more sites to switch.
Chrome has no built-in "save image as type" menu, so you have three options: convert the file after downloading (this page), export it from an app like Paint or Preview, or use an extension that converts while saving.
WebP vs PNG vs JPG: which format should you use?
Use PNG when you need lossless quality, transparency or maximum compatibility; use WebP when file size on the web matters most; use JPG for photos that must open everywhere. WebP can do almost everything PNG and JPG do, but support outside browsers is still patchier.
| Feature | WebP | PNG | JPG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy or lossless | Lossless only | Lossy only |
| Transparency | Yes (8-bit alpha) | Yes (8-bit alpha) | No |
| Animation | Yes | Only as APNG | No |
| Typical file size | Smallest | Largest for photos | Small for photos |
| Max dimensions | 16,383 × 16,383 px | Very large | 65,535 × 65,535 px |
| Opens in older apps | Sometimes | Almost always | Almost always |
| Best for | Web pages | Logos, screenshots, editing | Photos to share or print |
Google, which created the format, reports that lossless WebP files are about 26% smaller than the same images as PNG, and lossy WebP files are 25–34% smaller than JPGs of similar visual quality. Browsers adopted it quickly; design tools, office suites and upload forms have been slower.
So the WebP vs PNG question usually comes down to where the file is going. For a website, keep WebP. For editing, printing, slides or a form that rejects WebP, change WebP to PNG first.
How to save WebP as PNG in Chrome
Chrome can't save a WebP image as PNG directly, so save it first, then convert it. The whole process takes under a minute:
- Right-click the image and choose Save image as. Chrome saves it as a .webp file.
- Drag the saved file onto the drop box at the top of this page, or click the box and choose it.
- Leave the output on PNG and press Download on the card. The PNG lands in your downloads folder.
- Converting a batch? Save them all, drop them in together and use Download all (ZIP).
Shortcut: right-click the image and choose Copy image, then press Ctrl+V (⌘+V on Mac) on this page. The copied image converts straight away, with no file saved first.
How to change WebP to PNG on Windows and Mac without a website
Both Windows and macOS can do this with apps they already include. Use them when you are offline or prefer not to open a web page; use this converter when you have many files or want to resize at the same time.
Windows 10 and 11: Paint
- Right-click the .webp file and choose Open with > Paint.
- Go to File > Save as > PNG picture.
- Pick a folder and name, then save.
Windows 11 reads WebP out of the box. On Windows 10, if Paint or Photos won't open the file, install Microsoft's free WebP Image Extension from the Microsoft Store. Paint converts one file at a time.
macOS: Preview
- Open the .webp file in Preview.
- Choose File > Export.
- Open the Format menu, pick PNG, and click Save.
To convert several at once, open them in one Preview window, select them all in the sidebar and use File > Export.
| Method | Batch | Resize | Uploads your file | Works on phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| This page | Yes, with ZIP | Yes | No | Yes |
| Windows Paint | No | Yes, manually | No | No |
| macOS Preview | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Typical upload site | Often limited | Sometimes | Yes | Yes |
PNG to WebP: converting the other way
To convert PNG to WebP, switch the output to WebP, set a quality and drop your PNGs in. You will usually get a much smaller file, which is the whole point of WebP on a website. The same switch also handles JPG to WebP.
The quality slider sets how much detail the encoder may discard: 80–90 suits most photos. Transparency is kept. Watch the size change on each card; for flat logos or screenshots the gain can be modest.
The check asks the canvas for a 1-pixel WebP and looks at what comes back:
const c = document.createElement("canvas");
c.width = c.height = 1;
const canEncodeWebp = c.toDataURL("image/webp").startsWith("data:image/webp");
// false in Safari: it returned data:image/png insteadNot sure which browser or version you are on? Our What's My Browser tool shows it in one look.
Does converting WebP to PNG lose quality?
No. Converting WebP to PNG keeps every pixel the WebP decoder produces, because PNG is lossless. It can't restore detail that a lossy WebP already threw away, though, and the PNG is often several times larger. That size jump is normal: PNG stores pixels exactly instead of approximating them.
- Transparency
- Kept in PNG and WebP output. In JPG output, transparent areas are filled with the background colour you pick (white by default).
- Animated WebP
- Only the first frame is converted. A canvas draws one still image, so an animated WebP becomes a single PNG. The card shows an "Animated: first frame only" badge when this happens. Animated GIF and APNG input behave the same way.
- Metadata
- EXIF, XMP and embedded colour profiles are not copied. That removes camera and location data, which is often what you want before sharing.
- File size
- Up to 50 MB per file and 200 files per batch. Images above 100 megapixels are refused; set a max width to shrink them first.
- Memory
- Files convert one at a time and each canvas is freed at once, so big batches don't freeze the tab.
- Formats in
- WebP, PNG, JPG, GIF, AVIF and BMP, whatever your browser can decode. HEIC photos and SVG files get a clear message explaining what to do instead.
Colours can shift slightly if the original had a wide-gamut colour profile, because the canvas works in sRGB. For web images you won't notice.
How to open WebP files
Any modern browser opens WebP files: drag the file into a Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari window. Windows 11 Photos and Paint and macOS Preview open them too. If an older app refuses, converting to PNG is the reliable fix.
Browser support is now universal among current releases. According to caniuse, Chrome has supported WebP since version 32, Edge since 18, Firefox since 65, and Safari since 14 (full support from 16).
Need to drop a small image straight into HTML or CSS instead? The Base64 encoder turns a converted PNG into a data URI. Want the whole page as an image instead of one picture? Try a full-page screenshot extension.