PNG to WebP
Smaller than the PNG, with the transparency still there.
82% is where most photographs stop looking any better. Text and flat colour want more.
The short answer
WebP does the job PNG does, usually in a much smaller file, and it keeps transparency while doing it. Every browser in current use reads it. The catch is outside the browser: some older desktop software and a few social platforms still will not open one, which is the only real reason to keep a PNG around.
WebP does what PNG does in a fraction of the space, and every browser in current use reads it. The conversion runs in your own tab, so nothing is uploaded and nothing is queued.
The formula
decode the PNG → draw it onto a canvas → encode as WebP at the quality you pick
Worked examples
- A logo with transparency
- smaller, transparency intact
- A screenshot
- smaller; raise the quality if text softens
- A photograph saved as PNG
- dramatically smaller
Reference table
| Format | Typical size | Transparency | Opens everywhere |
|---|---|---|---|
| PNG | Largest | Yes | Yes, anywhere |
| WebP | Smallest | Yes | Every current browser |
| AVIF | Smaller still | Yes | Every current browser |
| JPEG | Small | No | Yes, anywhere |
How to use it
- 01Drop the PNG inOr pick a file. It is decoded locally by your browser.
- 02Choose how much detail to keepPhotographs are fine around 82%. Screenshots and flat graphics want more, because WebP softens hard edges as it compresses.
- 03Save the WebPBoth sizes are shown, so you can see what the setting bought you before you commit to it.
Also searched for
Searches that land here include png to webp, convert png to webp, png to webp converter, webp converter and compress png as webp.
Why WebP replaced most PNGs on the web
It does both jobs
Before WebP you chose: PNG for anything with transparency or hard edges, JPEG for photographs. WebP does either. It has a lossless mode that behaves like PNG and a lossy mode that behaves like JPEG, and it keeps the alpha channel in both. That is why page-speed tools nag about it: for most images on most pages it is simply the smaller file.
Where the saving comes from
WebP's lossy mode predicts each block of pixels from its neighbours and stores only the difference. Photographs are full of gradual change, so the predictions are good and there is little left to store. Sharp edges break the prediction, which is why text and line art need a higher quality setting to stay clean, and why a screenshot converted at 60% looks smeared.
Keep the original
Converting is one direction. Once the detail is gone from a lossy WebP, going back to PNG will not recover it. Keep your PNG somewhere and treat the WebP as the copy you publish.
Questions people ask
Does WebP keep transparency?
Yes, a full alpha channel, the same as PNG. That is the main reason to prefer it over JPEG for logos and product images: you get the small file and keep the clear background.
Will a WebP work everywhere?
In browsers, yes. Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge have all read WebP for years. Outside the browser it is patchier: some older desktop editors and a few upload forms still refuse it, which is the one good reason to keep a PNG copy of anything you might need to hand to someone else.
How much smaller will my file be?
It depends entirely on the picture, which is why this page shows you rather than promising a number. Photographs saved as PNG shrink the most, often dramatically, because PNG is the wrong container for them. A simple two-colour logo may barely change, because PNG already compresses flat colour well.