What is a WebP file, and how do you save it as JPG?

You right-clicked an image on a website, chose “Save image as”, and ended up with a file ending in .webp. It looks fine in your browser, but your photo viewer won’t open it, Word won’t insert it, or a website rejects it when you try to upload it.

This guide explains what WebP is, why it’s everywhere now, and how to turn it into a JPG (or PNG) in a few seconds.

WebP in one paragraph

WebP is an image format Google introduced in 2010 to make the web faster. It can compress photos like a JPG (lossy) or graphics like a PNG (lossless), it supports transparent backgrounds, and it can even hold short animations like a GIF. For the same visual quality, a WebP is usually 25–35% smaller than a JPG, and lossless WebP is usually smaller than PNG.

Why websites switched to WebP

Images are often the heaviest part of a web page. Smaller images mean pages load faster, especially on phones, and faster pages keep visitors around longer and tend to rank better in search.

Because every major browser now supports WebP, many sites convert their images automatically. Content delivery networks, WordPress plugins, online stores and image hosts often serve WebP to any browser that says it can handle it, even if the original upload was a JPG or PNG. That’s why you get a .webp file when you save an image, even from a site that “uploaded a JPG”.

Why WebP files won’t open in some apps

Browsers adopted WebP quickly. Other software took longer. You may still run into trouble with:

• Older photo viewers and editors
• Some versions of Microsoft Office and other document software
• Photo printing kiosks and online print services
• Upload forms that only list “JPG, JPEG, PNG”
• Some messaging and email apps that preview images

None of these are WebP’s fault, exactly; it’s just less universal than JPG, which has been the default for photos for over thirty years.

How to save a WebP as JPG

The simplest method that works on any device:

1. Open WebP to JPG.
2. Drag the .webp file onto the converter. You can also copy an image in your browser and paste it with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac).
3. The JPG is ready a moment later. Press Download.

The conversion happens inside your browser, so the image isn’t uploaded anywhere. You can convert up to 50 files at once and download them as a ZIP.

Quality: the default of 90% looks identical to the original for almost every image. If you need a smaller file, lower it to 75–80%. For printing, raise it to 95%.

Transparency: JPG can’t store transparent areas, so they’re filled with a background colour (white by default, adjustable in Options). If the image is a logo or icon with a transparent background, see the next section.

When to choose PNG instead

Pick WebP to PNG when:

• The image has a transparent background, like a logo, sticker or product cut-out. PNG keeps the transparency; JPG doesn’t.
• You plan to edit the image and save it several times. PNG is lossless, so it won’t degrade.
• The image is a screenshot or diagram with sharp text. PNG keeps edges crisp.

PNG files are larger than JPGs for photos, so for ordinary pictures JPG is still the better choice.

Other ways to avoid WebP

Change the file extension? Renaming “picture.webp” to “picture.jpg” doesn’t convert anything. The data inside is still WebP, and apps that check the contents will still fail. (Our converter checks the real contents, not the name, so it’ll tell you if a file isn’t what its extension says.)

Screenshots. Taking a screenshot of the image gives you a PNG, but at screen resolution, which may be lower than the original, and with anything else that was on screen.

Browser extensions. Some add a “Save as JPG” option. Be cautious: extensions can read the pages you visit, so only install ones you trust.

Your operating system. Recent versions of Windows and macOS can open WebP in their built-in viewers, and macOS Preview can export to JPG. That’s handy for single files on your own computer, but converting is still the safest way to send an image to someone else.

Should you use WebP yourself?

If you run a website, yes. Converting your images to WebP is one of the easiest ways to speed up your pages. Resize them to the size they actually display, then convert them with JPG to WebP, which accepts both JPG and PNG and keeps transparency.

For sharing photos with friends, family or colleagues, stick with JPG. Everyone can open it.

Quick reference

You want to…	Use
Open or share a WebP photo anywhere	WebP to JPG
Keep a transparent background	WebP to PNG
Make your own website images smaller	JPG to WebP
Fit a WebP into an upload size limit	Compress to 100 KB

The short version

WebP is a modern, compact image format that websites use to load faster. It works in every browser but not in every app. To use a WebP image elsewhere, save it as JPG, or as PNG if it has transparency. It takes seconds and, with OneDropConvert, the file never leaves your device.