PNG to WebP Converter

Why convert PNG to WebP

The main reason is size. PNG stores every pixel exactly, so photographs and detailed screenshots saved as PNG are large. WebP can store the same picture with a small, usually invisible loss, at a fraction of the size, and it keeps transparency. For a website that loads dozens of images, changing PNGs to WebP is one of the quickest ways to make pages lighter and faster, which helps visitors on mobile connections and can help search performance.

All current major browsers display WebP, so for web use the risk is low. The exceptions are older software, print services and upload forms, where PNG or JPG remains safer.

How much smaller will it be?

It depends on the picture. Photographs and screenshots with many colours and gradients often shrink by 70 to 90 percent, for example from around 1.8 MB to a few hundred kilobytes. Simple graphics that use few colours, such as flat logos, already compress well as PNG, so the saving is smaller, and at very low sizes it is worth comparing the two before you replace anything.

The converter shows the size of each result, so you can judge the saving straight away. If a particular file does not get smaller, keep the PNG.

Choosing the quality setting

WebP at less than 100 percent is lossy. For photographs, 80 to 85 percent gives a large saving with little visible change. For screenshots with small text, sharp lines or interface elements, choose 90 to 95 to keep the letters crisp. Compare the result with the original at full size, looking at edges and flat colours, where compression artefacts show first.

• Photos: 80 to 85 percent.
• Screenshots and text: 90 to 95 percent.
• Logos and icons with transparency: 90 percent or more, and check the edges.
• If quality matters more than size, keep the PNG.

Transparency is kept

WebP supports transparent backgrounds, so logos, icons and cut-out images convert without turning into a solid box. Semi-transparent edges, such as soft shadows, are preserved. This is the main advantage over converting to JPG, which cannot store transparency at all.

For a complete website workflow, resize each image to the size it is displayed with the Image Resizer, convert it here, and if you need more savings run it through the Image Compressor. The article how to compress images for a faster website covers the whole process, and JPG to WebP handles photographs.

Common problems and fixes

If a converted file looks worse or is not smaller, one of these usually explains it.

• Text looks soft: raise the quality to 90 or 95 percent, or keep the PNG for screenshots that are mostly text.
• The WebP is not smaller: the PNG was already a simple graphic. Keep the PNG for that file.
• Edges look ragged around transparency: raise the quality and check the image on both a light and a dark background.
• A service will not accept the file: it does not support WebP. Use the PNG, or convert with PNG to JPG.

Keep your originals

Keep the PNG files. A lossy WebP cannot be turned back into the original, and you may need the PNG for editing, printing or a service that does not accept WebP. Converting happens in your browser and nothing is uploaded, so you can safely process client work and personal pictures. Up to 30 files can be converted at once and downloaded as a ZIP. Give the outputs the same base name as the originals so that replacing them on your site later is straightforward, and test one page before you replace every image.