How to Convert JPG to WebP on Mac

Step-by-step instructions

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   Method 1: sips (built-in Mac command line)

   macOS includes sips (Script Image Processing System) which supports WebP: sips -s format webp input.jpg --out output.webp. Batch convert a folder: for f in *.jpg; do sips -s format webp "$f" --out "${f%.jpg}.webp"; done. No additional software required — sips is built into every Mac.

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2. 2

   Method 2: Browser converter (no install needed)

   Go to formatdrop.com in Safari or Chrome on Mac. Drop your JPG. Select WebP output. Set quality (85% recommended). Download. Works with any Mac without any software installation.

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   Method 3: cwebp via Homebrew

   Install Homebrew (brew.sh): /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)". Then: brew install webp. Convert: cwebp -q 85 input.jpg -o output.webp. Batch: for f in *.jpg; do cwebp -q 85 "$f" -o "${f%.jpg}.webp"; done. cwebp is Google's reference WebP encoder — produces optimal quality.

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   Method 4: Automator workflow for right-click conversion

   Open Automator → File → New → Quick Action. Workflow receives: image files. Add action: 'Run Shell Script' → set to: for f in "$@"; do sips -s format webp "$f" --out "${f%.jpg}.webp"; done. Save as 'Convert to WebP'. Now right-click any JPG in Finder → Quick Actions → Convert to WebP.