JPG, PNG or WebP: Which Image Format Should You Use?
Use JPG for photos you share anywhere, PNG for screenshots, logos and anything with text or a transparent background, and WebP for images on your own website, where smaller files load faster. If an image won't open or a website won't accept it, it is often a WebP file: convert it to JPG or PNG.
The short answer
- Use JPG for photographs, especially when you need to share them with anyone, anywhere.
- Use PNG for screenshots, logos, diagrams and anything with sharp edges, text or transparent areas.
- Use WebP for images on your own website, where smaller files make pages load faster.
- When in doubt about compatibility, JPG for photos and PNG for graphics are the safest choices.
JPG: the all-purpose photo format
JPG (also written JPEG) uses lossy compression. It throws away fine detail that the human eye barely notices, which makes photographs much smaller than they would be otherwise. At sensible quality settings a photo looks the same as the original at a fraction of the size.
The trade-offs are:
- Detail that is removed is gone for good. Sharp edges and small text can pick up a faint fuzziness, which is why JPG is a poor choice for screenshots and logos.
- Every time you open a JPG, edit it and save it again, it is compressed again and loses a little more quality. Keep your original and avoid saving the same file over and over.
- JPG cannot store transparency. A transparent area has to be filled with a solid color.
Almost every phone, camera, website, email program and printing service accepts JPG, which is why it is still the default for photos.
PNG: sharp, exact and transparent
PNG uses lossless compression, so the image you save is exactly the image you get back, with no fuzziness around edges. It also supports transparency, which is why logos and icons are usually PNG files.
The cost is size. A photograph saved as PNG is often several times larger than the same photo as a JPG, because photos contain the kind of fine, noisy detail that lossless compression cannot shrink much. PNG shines for screenshots, charts, diagrams, interface graphics and images with large flat areas of color, where it is both sharp and reasonably small.
WebP: smaller files for the web
WebP is a newer format that can work in either mode: lossy for photos or lossless for graphics. It supports transparency and animation too. In practice a WebP image is usually noticeably smaller than a JPG or PNG that looks the same, which is why many websites use it to speed up their pages.
Every current major browser can display WebP. The problem is everything else. Some older editing programs, some email clients, some printing services and some upload forms still do not accept it. If you have ever saved an image from a website and found you could not open or upload it, there is a good chance it was a WebP file.
Which one for which job
| Job | Format |
|---|---|
| A photo for a website | WebP, or JPG for maximum compatibility |
| A photo to send to a friend, a printer or an old program | JPG |
| A logo or icon with a transparent background | PNG, or WebP if it is only for the web |
| A screenshot with text in it | PNG, so the text stays crisp |
| An image that will not open or upload | Convert it from WebP to JPG or PNG |
| A large photo that slows your page down | WebP, or a lower-quality JPG |
What converting can and cannot do
Converting does not improve an image. It only changes how the same picture is stored, and that has consequences worth knowing about:
- JPG to PNG does not bring back detail that was already lost. The result looks identical to the JPG, and the file is usually much larger. It is useful when a program insists on PNG, not as a quality upgrade.
- PNG to JPG removes transparency and adds compression. Check the result if your image had a transparent background.
- Anything to WebP usually makes the file smaller, but WebP may not open everywhere, so keep the original too.
- WebP to JPG or PNG is the usual fix for an image that will not open or upload. Choose JPG for photos and PNG for graphics.
The general rule: keep your original file, convert a copy, and avoid converting the same image back and forth.
Converting with TypeorDrop
These tools handle the common cases: JPG to PNG and PNG to JPG, JPG to WebP and PNG to WebP, WebP to JPG and WebP to PNG. Choose the tool, add your file and download the result. Image converters accept files up to 5 MB.
Troubleshooting
A website says my image format isn't supported. Check the file's real format: a file saved from a web page is often WebP even when you expected a JPG. Convert it to JPG.
The background turned black or white after converting. The image had transparency and was converted to JPG, which can't store it. Convert to PNG instead.
The PNG is much bigger than the JPG I started with. That is normal for photos. Lossless PNG keeps every pixel of an already-compressed photo. Keep the JPG unless you need PNG.
My iPhone photo is HEIC. Convert it with HEIC to JPG, which every website and program accepts.
FAQ
Is WebP better than JPG?
For websites, usually: a WebP looks the same as a JPG at a smaller file size. For sharing and printing, JPG is safer because more programs and services accept it.
Does converting JPG to PNG improve quality?
No. Converting can't bring back detail that JPG compression removed. The PNG looks the same and is usually much larger.
Which format supports transparency?
PNG and WebP. JPG doesn't, so transparent areas get filled with a solid color.
Are the image converters free?
Yes. You can run 2 jobs a day without an account and 10 a day with a free account. Uploaded files are deleted automatically within about 24 hours, and results after 7 days.
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