JPG, PNG or WebP: which image format should you use?

Almost every image you meet online is a JPG, a PNG or a WebP. They look similar on screen, but they store pictures in very different ways, and the wrong choice shows up later as a blurry logo, a file that is far too large, or an image a website refuses to accept. This guide explains what each format is good at so you can pick the right one, and what converting between them can and cannot do.

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

• A photo for a website: WebP, or JPG if you want 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 you saved that will not open or upload: convert it from WebP to JPG or PNG.
• A very large photo that is slowing your page down: convert it to 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

If you need to switch formats, 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. Files are currently limited to 5 MB each, and free use has a daily limit; the pricing page has the current numbers. Uploaded files are deleted automatically, and the Privacy Policy explains how long anything is kept.