.webp

What is a .webp file?

WebP is Google's modern image format — 25–35% smaller than JPG with support for transparency and animation.

Safe format
Type Image
By Google
MIME image/webp

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What is it

You right-clicked an image in your browser and saved it. Now nothing on your desktop can open it. That's WebP. Google built this format to make the web faster, and websites adopted it enthusiastically because the files are significantly smaller than JPG or PNG at equivalent quality.

The problem is everything outside the browser. Older image editors choke on WebP. Email clients sometimes refuse to display it. Desktop apps on older operating systems pretend it doesn't exist. macOS added native support in Big Sur (2020), and Windows needs an extension from the Microsoft Store. WebP also supports transparency (like PNG) and animation (like GIF), which makes it technically superior to both — but it broke the implicit social contract that saving an image from the web should just work.

Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all display WebP natively. For opening files on your desktop, Preview (macOS 11+) and Photos (Windows 10+) handle it. If you need to share a WebP with someone whose software can't cope, converting to JPG or PNG with fwip takes seconds and happens entirely on your device.

Technical details
Full Name
WebP Image
MIME Type
image/webp
Developer
Google
Magic Bytes
52 49 46 46 ?? ?? ?? ?? 57 45 42 50
Safety
.webp is a known, safe format.
What opens it
Chrome / Edge / Firefox
FREE All
Apple Preview
FREE macOS 11+
GIMP
FREE All
Affinity Photo
$70 All
Adobe Photoshop
Subscription All
Convert with fwip

Convert .webp files instantly in your browser. No upload, no signup, no subscription. Your files never leave your device.

Free in your browser. Batch processing & offline mode in the desktop bundle.

FAQ
Why do websites use WebP?
WebP files are significantly smaller than JPGs and PNGs at equivalent quality, which makes web pages load faster. Google developed the format specifically for web performance.
How do I save a WebP image as JPG?
Right-clicking and saving from a browser gives you a .webp file. Use fwip to convert it to JPG or PNG instantly in your browser — no upload required.
Is WebP better than PNG?
For file size, yes — WebP lossless is roughly 26% smaller than PNG. WebP also supports animation (unlike PNG) and lossy mode. But PNG has universal support and is the safer choice when you need the image to open everywhere.
Why can't I open a WebP file?
Many desktop applications and older operating systems don't support WebP. macOS added native support in Big Sur (2020), and Windows support requires the WebP Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store. The quickest fix is to convert to JPG with fwip.
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