How to Convert PNG to WebP (and When You Shouldn’t)
PNG is a great format: sharp, with transparency, and every program opens it. But it was made to be lossless, so photos and large screenshots saved as PNG are often several megabytes, which slows pages down, especially on phones. WebP was created for the web: it supports transparency like PNG and is usually much smaller. Google, which developed WebP, reports lossy WebP files 25–34% smaller than comparable JPEGs, and the savings against PNG are usually far bigger.
This guide shows how to convert PNG to WebP with the free PNG to WebP converter, which quality to choose, and when you should keep the PNG.
How to convert PNG to WebP, step by step
- Open PNG to WebP and click Choose PNG files, or drag them onto the page. You can add up to 50 at a time.
- Set Quality. 90% (the default) looks like the original in almost every case.
- Click Convert. Each file shows its new size next to the original, so you can see how much you saved.
- Click Download for one file, or Download all as ZIP.
Transparent areas stay transparent, the picture keeps its size in pixels, and photo details such as the location are removed.
Which quality to choose
- Photos and illustrations: 75–85%. The difference is very hard to see and the files are much smaller.
- Screenshots, diagrams and images with text: 90–100%. Sharp edges and small text show compression first, so keep the quality high.
- Not sure? Keep 90%, compare the result with the original at full size, and lower it only if the file is still too big.
This converter makes lossy WebP: it drops detail the eye barely notices, which is where most of the saving comes from. At 100% the result looks identical, but for pixel-exact copies keep the PNG (see below).
Which images benefit most
- Photos saved as PNG: the biggest savings, often well over half the file size.
- Large screenshots and product images with a transparent background: much smaller, transparency kept.
- Tiny icons and simple graphics with few colours: little or no saving; a PNG of a few kilobytes may even be smaller. For logos and icons, SVG is usually best of all.
When to keep PNG
- When you’ll keep editing the image: every lossy save loses a little detail, so edit the PNG and convert at the end.
- When you need an exact, pixel-perfect copy, such as for print or archiving.
- For email attachments and older programs: some older email clients and desktop programs still can’t open WebP.
Every current browser shows WebP, including Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, and WordPress accepts WebP uploads, so on websites it’s safe to use everywhere. If a program can’t open a WebP you received, convert it back with WebP to PNG.
More ways to make images smaller
- JPG to WebP: the same for photos already saved as JPG.
- Image Compressor: make images smaller without changing the format, and resize them. See how to compress images without losing quality.
- PNG to JPG: for photos that must open everywhere and don’t need transparency.
Are my images uploaded?
No. The conversion runs in your browser, so your images never leave your device. Our server only records how many images were converted, for the daily limit.
Frequently asked questions
Is transparency kept?
Yes. WebP supports transparency, so transparent backgrounds and soft edges stay exactly as they were.
Why is my WebP bigger than the PNG?
That can happen with very small or very simple images, such as icons with a few flat colours, which PNG already stores efficiently. Keep the PNG for those.
Does converting change the picture size?
No. The width and height in pixels stay the same; only the file gets smaller. To resize as well, use the Image Compressor.