PNG to WEBP

How it works

Choose your PNG files, set the quality value and press the button. The pixel dimensions stay as they are and the transparent background travels with the image: WEBP supports an alpha channel, so logos and screenshots do not end up sitting on a white rectangle. The saving is usually larger here than on a JPG conversion, because PNG stores everything losslessly and takes up a great deal of room on photographic content. The higher the quality, the closer the output stays to the source; at 100 the browser discards as little as it can, but the file also stays at its largest. Each result line prints the old size, the new size and the percentage saved, and running the files again with a different setting does no harm to your source.

This tool is also known as png to webp, convert png to webp, transparent webp, webp with alpha channel, shrink logo file size, screenshot to webp.

What is alpha channel?

An alpha channel is a fourth value stored next to red, green and blue that records how see-through each individual pixel is. It is what lets a logo keep clean edges on any background, and what makes a soft shadow fade out instead of stopping at the border of a white rectangle. Both PNG and WEBP carry one, which is why this conversion leaves the background empty rather than filling it — and why the same file turned into JPG cannot.

What is the WEBP quality setting?

The quality setting decides how much data the encoder is allowed to throw away while rewriting the picture. Low values buy a small file by simplifying detail, and the damage appears first where colours change gradually: skies, gradients, the soft edge of a shadow. High values keep the picture close to the source at the cost of size. Since a PNG source is lossless to begin with, every step you take down from 100 is the first loss that image has ever suffered.

PNG or WEBP when you need transparency?

Both carry transparency, so the choice is about efficiency against reach. WEBP writes the same image in fewer bytes, which makes it the natural pick for anything published on a web page. PNG is the format every program, every editor and every upload form recognises, so the file you will keep working on or hand to somebody else should stay PNG. The practical answer is to hold both: PNG as the editing and archive copy, WEBP as the copy that goes on the site.

Which PNG files gain the most?

How much you save depends on what is in the picture. A photograph — or a screenshot containing one — saved as PNG is far larger than it needs to be, and those files often shrink dramatically.

A plain logo built from a few flat colours is a different case: PNG already handles that content efficiently, so the saving stays modest. The percentage on the result line tells you whether swapping the file is worth the trouble.

• PNG holding a photograph → biggest saving
• Screenshot or interface capture → high saving
• Gradients and soft shadows → moderate saving
• Flat two or three colour logo → limited saving

What happens to transparency

Transparent areas stay transparent; no white or coloured backing is filled in behind them. That is the most visible difference from converting a PNG to JPG, where a solid background is unavoidable.

Semi-transparent shadows and softened edges survive as well. Push the quality far down, though, and you may see traces along those transitions — keep the value high for logos, where edge sharpness is the whole point.

A copy for publishing, not an archive

Think of the WEBP as the version that goes on the site. The file you will edit again, open in layers or send to an institution is safer left as PNG.

This tool does not touch your source; the PNG stays on your device. Keeping both copies makes it easy to regenerate the WEBP later at a different quality.

Frequently asked questions

Is the transparent background preserved?

Yes. WEBP supports an alpha channel, so transparent and semi-transparent areas come through unchanged and no white backing is added.

Is quality 100 lossless?

At the top value the browser discards as little data as it can and the output comes very close to the source, but the file also stays at its largest. Choose it when edge sharpness matters.

Will text in screenshots go blurry?

At low quality values you can see traces along thin letter edges. For images that contain text, stay at 90 or above.

Are my files uploaded anywhere?

No. The conversion runs inside your browser; your images are not sent to a server, which is also why the tool keeps working with the connection off.