The format in one paragraph
WebP is an image format Google built for the web. It holds still or animated images, compresses them either losslessly or lossily, and supports transparency in both modes. Google measures lossless WebP at 26% smaller than PNG and lossy WebP at 25 to 34% smaller than comparable JPEG. Websites adopted it for that reason, and the file you saved is simply what the page was already using.
Opening one
- Drag it into a browser tab Every current browser displays WebP. This is the fastest way to see the image with nothing installed.
- Double-click it Recent versions of Windows Photos and macOS Preview open WebP directly, as do most current image editors. Older releases predate the format and refuse it.
- Convert it when an app says no Upload forms, older internal tools, and print software are the usual holdouts. Converting to PNG makes the file acceptable everywhere without changing what it looks like.
Renaming the file to .png does not convert it. The extension is a label; the bytes inside are still WebP, and any program that reads the header will say so.
Converting it to PNG
The WebP to PNG converter works on one still WebP up to 20 MB, 4,096 pixels on either side, and 16,000,000 total pixels. The file is read, converted, and verified inside a browser worker, so nothing is uploaded.
Transparency survives. Alpha values must match exactly, and for partially transparent colour each premultiplied 8-bit channel may differ by at most 2 because native browser PNG encoders round those values. Anything larger blocks the download rather than handing you a file with wrong edges.
Source EXIF, XMP, ICC, C2PA, and other ancillary records are not copied into the PNG. The finished file is then checked again for structure, checksums, pixels, and alpha before the download unlocks.
One limit worth knowing: the PNG encoding is lossless from the rendered pixels, but it cannot reverse compression that already happened. A lossy WebP converted to PNG gives you a much larger file containing the same degraded pixels.
Animated WebP
WebP can hold animation, which is why some sites use it instead of GIF. A still PNG cannot represent multiple frames, so the converter rejects animated WebP before decoding rather than silently exporting the first frame and calling it done.
If you have an animated file and need the frames, that is a job for a video or animation tool, not a still-image converter.
Which format should you keep
| What you need | Keep the WebP | Convert to PNG |
|---|---|---|
| Put it on a web page | Yes, it is smaller | No reason to |
| Send it to a colleague | Only if you know their software | Safer default |
| Upload to a form that rejects it | Not possible | Yes |
| Edit in older design software | Often unsupported | Yes |
| Print it | Many workflows refuse it | Yes |
If you are choosing a format for images you publish rather than dealing with one you received, the trade-offs are laid out in PNG vs WebP.
WebP file FAQ
What is a WebP file?
An image format Google built for the web. It stores still or animated images with lossless or lossy compression and supports transparency. Google measures lossless WebP at 26% smaller than PNG.
How do I open one?
Drag it into any current browser. Recent Windows Photos and macOS Preview versions open it too, as do most current editors. Older software refuses it, and converting to PNG solves that.
Why did my download save as .webp?
The website served the image in that format and saving keeps what the browser received. Nothing on your computer converted it and nothing went wrong.
How do I convert WebP to PNG?
Open the converter, choose the file, and convert. It runs in a browser worker, keeps transparency, removes source metadata, and checks structure, checksums, pixels, and alpha before unlocking the download.
Is WebP lower quality than PNG?
Not by itself. Lossless WebP keeps every pixel. Lossy WebP discards detail on purpose, like JPEG. The extension alone does not tell you which mode a file used.
Can I just rename it to .png?
No. The extension is a label and the bytes stay WebP. Any program that reads the file header will reject it, often with a confusing error about a corrupt image.