Image Tools

What Is WebP and When Should You Convert It?

Understand WebP images, why websites use them, and when JPG or PNG is more compatible.

1 min readUpdated Aug 27, 2026

WebP is an image format designed for efficient web delivery. It can store photographic images and can also support transparency, which makes it useful for websites that want smaller image transfers.

Why you see WebP files

A website may deliver WebP because the browser supports it and the file can be smaller than an equivalent older format. Saving an image from a page can therefore produce a .webp file even when you expected JPG.

When JPG is useful

If another app, form or older workflow does not accept WebP, converting a photographic image to JPG can improve compatibility. Remember that conversion does not restore details that were already removed by earlier compression.

When PNG is useful

PNG is often a better choice when you need transparency or lossless flat graphics. For photographs it may produce a much larger file.