PNG→WEBP

Convert PNG to WEBP

Turn a .png image into a modern WEBP — right in your browser, with a real re-encode via canvas, not a server upload. Keeps transparency, at a fraction of PNG's file size.

Guide by the File-Extension.com team — see our methods and tool limitations. Updated .

Runs 100% in your browser Handles transparency Nothing uploaded

Convert a PNG File to WEBP

Drop a .png file below. Your browser decodes it, then it's re-encoded as a real WEBP on a canvas — transparency preserved — previewed here, ready to download.

Before you use this tool: The browser output is lossy WEBP, not a lossless copy of the PNG. Transparency is retained. Use the lossless cwebp method below if you must preserve pixel values exactly.

🔒 Nothing is uploaded — your file never leaves this device

On this page

  1. Convert PNG to WEBP (tool)
  2. Why convert PNG to WEBP
  3. Edge cases this tool handles
  4. Lossless or lossy WEBP?
  5. Other ways and batch
  6. Using the WEBP afterwards
  7. Related file extensions
  8. FAQ

Why convert PNG to WEBP

PNG's lossless compression makes for reliably large files, especially for photos. WEBP typically produces a dramatically smaller file for the same image while still supporting transparency — a common optimization when preparing PNG graphics or screenshots for a website.

Edge cases this tool handles

Transparency

Fully preserved — WEBP supports an alpha channel, so transparent and semi-transparent areas from the source PNG carry over.

Lossy encoding by default

This tool's WEBP output uses standard lossy compression (at a high quality setting), which is how canvas-based WEBP encoding works in the browser. For most photos and graphics this is visually indistinguishable from the source, but it's not bit-for-bit lossless the way the source PNG was.

Simple/flat-color PNGs (icons, logos)

These often compress extremely well in WEBP, sometimes even better proportionally than photos, since WEBP's compression handles both photographic and flat-color content well.

Lossless or lossy WEBP? Decide by what's in the PNG

WEBP has two separate modes, and PNG sources are exactly where the choice matters:

  • Screenshots, UI, diagrams, logos, pixel art: use lossless WEBP. It keeps every pixel identical to the PNG and is usually smaller than the PNG. This tool can't do lossless (browsers only expose lossy WEBP encoding), so use cwebp -lossless or an editor's Lossless checkbox.
  • Photos saved as PNG: use lossy WEBP, like this tool does. The saving is dramatic and the difference is invisible at normal size.
  • In between (a screenshot with a photo in it): cwebp's -near_lossless 60 preprocesses the image slightly for a smaller file that's still very close to lossless.

For images with transparency, lossy WEBP compresses the alpha channel separately; cwebp's -alpha_q controls its quality. If you're preparing game or 3D textures, add -exact, which preserves the color values hidden under fully transparent pixels instead of discarding them.

Other ways to convert PNG to WEBP, including batches

Built-in apps won't write WEBP: Windows Paint has no WEBP option under Save as, macOS Preview doesn't export it, and the iPhone Shortcuts Convert Image action doesn't offer it. Use one of these instead:

  • Photoshop 23.2 or later: File → Save a Copy → WebP, with a Lossless option in the dialog.
  • GIMP: File → Export As… with a .webp name; the export dialog has a Lossless checkbox and a quality slider.
  • cwebp (Google's libwebp encoder; brew install webp on Mac, the webp package on Linux, Google's downloads on Windows).
  • ImageMagick: magick mogrify -format webp -define webp:lossless=true *.png for a lossless batch.
Lossless WEBP for a screenshot, lossy for a photo, and a loop that converts a whole folder losslessly.

Using the WEBP afterwards (and when to keep the PNG)

  • On websites: all current browsers display WEBP, and WordPress accepts WEBP uploads since version 5.8.
  • On your computer: Windows 11 Photos and Paint open WEBP (on Windows 10, install the free WebP Image Extensions from Microsoft Store if they don't), and Preview opens it on macOS Big Sur and later.
  • Keep the PNG master for editing, printing, email attachments and older design software, which may still not accept WEBP.
  • Animated PNG (APNG): only the first frame is converted here. To build an animated WEBP, export the frames and combine them with libwebp's img2webp tool.

Frequently asked questions

Does converting PNG to WEBP upload my file anywhere?

No. The image is decoded and re-encoded entirely inside your browser using a canvas — the file never leaves your device or touches a server.

Does converting to WEBP keep transparency?

Yes — WEBP supports an alpha channel, so transparent and semi-transparent pixels in the source PNG are preserved in the output.

Is the output WEBP lossless like the source PNG?

No — this tool encodes WEBP using standard lossy compression at a high quality setting, which is how browser-based canvas encoding works. It's visually very close to the source for almost all images, but not bit-for-bit identical.

How much smaller will the file be?

It varies by image, but WEBP very often produces a substantially smaller file than an equivalent PNG, particularly for photographic content — flat-color graphics like icons see smaller but still meaningful savings.

How do I convert PNG to lossless WEBP?

Browser-based converters like this one produce lossy WEBP. For lossless output, use Google's cwebp with the -lossless option (cwebp -lossless image.png -o image.webp), tick Lossless in GIMP's or Photoshop's WebP export dialog, or use ImageMagick with -define webp:lossless=true.

Can I convert an animated PNG (APNG) to WEBP?

This tool converts only the first frame of an APNG. To keep the animation, export the individual frames and combine them into an animated WEBP with libwebp's img2webp command-line tool.

Will Windows and Mac open the WEBP after converting?

Yes on current systems. Windows 11 Photos and Paint open WEBP (Windows 10 may need the free WebP Image Extensions from Microsoft Store), and macOS Preview opens WEBP on Big Sur and later. Some older design programs and print services still expect PNG, so keep the original.

Last updated October 1, 2026.