PNG to WebP Converter

Other DocBrio tools that are often used together with PNG to WebP.

About PNG to WebP

Images are usually the heaviest part of a web page, and PNG is the heaviest of the common image formats. WebP was designed for the web and can replace PNG in most places on a site, because it supports transparent backgrounds too. That makes it a good fit for logos, interface graphics, illustrations and screenshots.

WebP has two ways of working. Lossless WebP keeps every pixel exactly, like PNG does, and is normally somewhat smaller than the PNG. Lossy WebP throws away fine detail in the way JPG does, but unlike JPG it can still keep transparency, and it gives much smaller files. This tool uses the quality slider, which controls the lossy kind. The slider starts at 85.

The right setting depends on the picture. For screenshots and interface graphics with small text, use 90 or more so the letters stay crisp. For photographs that happen to be stored as PNG, 75 to 85 is a sensible range. For flat logos, zoom in on the edges of the result and raise the quality if you see fuzz around them.

The conversion does not resize anything. If a screenshot is 3000 pixels wide and your page shows it at 800, resize it before you convert it, because removing pixels nobody sees saves more than any change of format.

Converting is not always a good idea. WebP is a format for browsers. If the file is going to a client by email, into a Word or PowerPoint document, to a print shop or through an upload form, the person or program at the other end may not be able to open it. For those uses, keep the PNG.

Treat the PNG as your master copy and the WebP as the copy you publish. If you later need a different quality or want to edit the picture, go back to the PNG. Converting a lossy WebP again would stack a second round of loss on top of the first.

On the website itself, a WebP file works in an ordinary image tag in all current browsers. Most site builders and content management systems accept WebP uploads today, but it is worth checking yours before you convert a whole folder.

When Should I Use This?

Use it for pictures that will be shown on a website or in a web app, especially large PNG graphics and screenshots that slow a page down. It is not the right tool for files you plan to email, print or archive.

How to Use PNG to WebP Step by Step

1. Choose the PNG files you want on your website.
2. Set the quality: 90 or more for screenshots with text, around 80 for photos.
3. Press Convert to WebP.
4. Read the before and after sizes in the list, and look closely at edges and small text in the previews.
5. Download the WebP files and upload them to your site. Keep the PNG originals somewhere safe.

Limitations

The slider controls lossy compression, and what a browser does at exactly 100 differs from browser to browser, so do not rely on this tool when you need a guaranteed pixel exact WebP. Simple graphics that are already tiny as PNG may hardly shrink at all. In Safari the tool has to download a small WebP encoder first, which needs an internet connection.

Related Tools and Guide

• JPG to WebP does the same job for photos that are stored as JPG.
• PNG to AVIF can give even smaller files, at the cost of slower conversion.
• WebP to PNG turns a WebP back into a PNG when someone cannot open it.
• Guide: Preparing PNG graphics for a faster website.

Frequently Asked Questions