Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Install cwebp (Google's reference encoder)
Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install webp. Fedora: sudo dnf install libwebp-tools. Arch: sudo pacman -S libwebp. Verify: cwebp -version.
Go to converter - 2
Convert a single JPG to WebP
cwebp -q 80 input.jpg -o output.webp. The -q flag sets quality (0–100). For lossless conversion: cwebp -lossless input.jpg -o output.webp.
- 3
Batch convert a folder of JPGs
for f in *.jpg; do cwebp -q 80 "$f" -o "${f%.jpg}.webp"; done. For recursive conversion: find . -name '*.jpg' -exec sh -c 'cwebp -q 80 "$1" -o "${1%.jpg}.webp"' _ {} \;
- 4
Convert with ImageMagick
sudo apt install imagemagick. Then: convert input.jpg -quality 80 output.webp. Batch: mogrify -format webp -quality 80 *.jpg (converts all JPGs in the current directory to WebP).
Why convert JPG to WebP?
WebP images are 25–35% smaller than JPG, reducing bandwidth and improving website load times. Linux developers use WebP conversion extensively for optimising assets in CI/CD pipelines.
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
Is cwebp or ImageMagick better for JPG to WebP?
How do I convert WebP back to JPG on Linux?
No account. No upload. Works in any browser.