FormatDrop
How-To Guide

How to Convert Images to WebP (JPG, PNG, and More)

WebP is the modern image format for the web — 25–35% smaller than JPG at equivalent quality, with transparency support, and now natively supported by all major browsers. This guide shows you how to convert any image format (JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF) to WebP in your browser, with the right settings for different types of content.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. 1

    Choose the right WebP mode for your image

    WebP has two modes: Lossy WebP (for photographs and complex images) and Lossless WebP (for graphics, logos, screenshots, and images with flat colours or transparency). Lossy WebP at quality 80–85 is typically 25–35% smaller than equivalent JPG. Lossless WebP is typically 26–34% smaller than equivalent PNG.

    Go to converter
  2. 2

    Open the appropriate FormatDrop converter

    For JPG to WebP: formatdrop.com/jpg-to-webp. For PNG to WebP: formatdrop.com/png-to-webp. For other formats: formatdrop.com/image-converter — select WebP as the output format. All converters run locally in your browser.

  3. 3

    Upload your image file

    Drop your image onto the converter. Supported input formats: JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, AVIF, HEIC (on supported browsers), and more. For batch conversion, select multiple files at once.

  4. 4

    Set quality level for lossy WebP

    Quality 80: excellent for most web photos — visually indistinguishable from JPG at 90%, but 25–35% smaller. Quality 85: slightly higher quality, slightly larger. Quality 90+: near-lossless, diminishing returns on quality vs. file size. For UI elements, icons, and logos: use Lossless WebP mode regardless of quality slider.

  5. 5

    Implement WebP on your website

    Serve WebP to browsers that support it with a PNG/JPG fallback: <picture><source srcset='image.webp' type='image/webp'><img src='image.jpg' alt='...'></picture>. Or, if using a CDN (Cloudflare, Imgix, Cloudinary): enable automatic WebP conversion — the CDN detects the browser's Accept header and serves WebP automatically. Modern build tools (Next.js, Nuxt, Astro) also handle WebP serving automatically.

Why convert JPG to WebP?

Google created WebP in 2010 specifically to address the bandwidth efficiency of JPEG and PNG. The format uses predictive coding for lossy compression and a lossless compression mode using LZ77 compression, Huffman coding, and a color cache. WebP also supports animation (replacing GIF), alpha transparency (replacing PNG), and metadata. By 2020, when Safari added WebP support, the format had achieved near-universal browser coverage. Today, serving WebP instead of JPG/PNG is a standard performance optimisation in web development. The Core Web Vitals metric LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) — a Google search ranking signal — is directly improved by smaller image file sizes, which WebP provides. For any website serving images: WebP conversion is one of the highest-ROI performance improvements available.

Your files never leave your device

FormatDrop runs the conversion engine entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly. No file upload. No server. Nothing stored. You can verify this by opening DevTools → Network tab and watching: zero upload requests.

Frequently asked questions

Will WebP images work in all browsers?
As of 2024: yes, for all mainstream browsers. Chrome (100% support since 2010), Firefox (100% since 2019), Edge (100% since 2018), Safari (100% since Safari 14, 2020), Opera (100% since 2013), Samsung Internet (100% since 4.0). IE 11 does not support WebP, but IE usage is below 1% globally. For 99%+ of your users, WebP works. Include a PNG/JPG fallback via <picture> to cover any edge cases.
Can I convert animated GIF to WebP?
Yes — animated WebP supports animation, and most image converters can convert GIF to animated WebP. Animated WebP is typically 60–70% smaller than equivalent GIF for photographic animation. However, browser support for animated WebP lags behind static WebP: Chrome, Edge, and Firefox support it; Safari added animated WebP support in Safari 16 (2022). For maximum animated image compatibility: keep GIF as a fallback.
Is WebP or AVIF better for web images?
AVIF is technically more efficient: typically 20% smaller than WebP at equivalent quality. However, WebP has broader compatibility, particularly on older Chromium-based browsers and some Android versions. AVIF Safari support arrived in Safari 16 (2022) — widespread but not quite as universal as WebP. The recommended 2024 approach: serve AVIF to browsers that support it, WebP as the first fallback, and JPG/PNG as the final fallback via the <picture> element.
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