How to convert an image format (PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, BMP)

How to convert an image from one format to another

To convert an image format, upload the current file (JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF), pick the new format in the list next to the button (PNG, JPG, WebP or GIF) and click "Convert and download". The tool redraws the image in your browser and saves it in the chosen format, with the same name and the new extension. To produce a BMP, or open an old BMP, there are two separate tools, explained further down.

1. Open the change image format tool.
2. Upload the current file: JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF, one or several at once.
3. In the format list next to the button, pick PNG (selected by default), JPG, WebP or GIF.
4. Click "Convert and download" (or "Convert N images" when there is more than one). Each image downloads as a separate file, with the original name and the new extension.

What changes in the image when you convert

• To JPG or WebP: the image is saved at 92% quality; the difference does not show on screen, but it exists. Do not convert the same file over and over in a chain.
• To JPG: a transparent background turns white, because JPG does not store transparency.
• To PNG: no loss at all; transparency is kept. That is why PNG is the default output.
• To WebP: transparency is kept and the file is usually smaller than the equivalent JPG.
• To GIF: the image comes out with at most 256 colors and transparency is preserved. Photos lose subtlety in gradients; logos and icons look fine.
• Animated GIF as input: it becomes a still image of the first frame, whatever the output format, including GIF.
• Width and height do not change, and the photo's hidden data (location, device, date) does not come along.

Which image format to use: JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF?

Each format was made for a kind of image. Choosing the right one avoids files that are too heavy or below the quality you need. If the question is only JPG versus WebP to make a website lighter, see how to convert JPG to WebP: the Direto Notícias case study.

• JPG: ideal for photos and images with many colors and gradients. Produces light files, but does not keep a transparent background (it turns white).
• PNG: ideal for logos, icons, screenshots and any image that needs a transparent background. Keeps lines crisp and loses nothing.
• WebP: the modern web format that combines the best of both, light photos and transparency, and makes pages faster. Well supported by current browsers.
• GIF: only when a system demands it. Limited to 256 colors; here the output is always a still image.
• BMP: an old, uncompressed and very heavy format; only worth it when a specific program or device requires it.

Got a huge BMP? Convert it to JPG, PNG or WebP

BMP is the uncompressed Windows bitmap: every pixel takes 3 bytes, so a Full HD image takes about 6 MB, whatever its content. If you received a BMP like that, the BMP conversion tool accepts the .bmp file and offers the same outputs, PNG, JPG, WebP or GIF, with the same "Convert and download" button. The result takes far less space and opens anywhere.

An old program demands BMP? Go the other way

Some old programs, machine panels and certain devices still require BMP as input. In that case, use the convert image to BMP tool: upload the JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF and click "Convert and download"; there are no options. The file comes out as a 24-bit, uncompressed BMP, with the message "Done! Your image was converted to BMP.". Transparent areas become a white background, and the file is large, like every BMP.

Common mistakes when converting image formats

• Changing the extension in the file name (from .png to .jpg, for example): that converts nothing and may make the program reject the image. Convert for real.
• Converting a logo with a transparent background to JPG and being surprised by the white background: to keep transparency, pick PNG or WebP.
• Converting an animated GIF expecting to keep the animation: here it becomes a still image. To just shrink an animated GIF, use the compress image tool, which preserves the animation.
• Uploading HEIC, TIFF, AVIF or SVG to this tool: it accepts only JPG, PNG, WebP and GIF. Those other formats have their own tools on the site.
• Converting JPG to PNG hoping to gain quality: the loss the JPG already had does not come back; PNG only avoids new losses.

The conversion happens entirely in your browser: the image is redrawn and saved on your own device and is never sent to any server.

Limit: up to 2 GB per file, with no limit on how many. With very large images, what can run out is the browser's memory: in that case, convert one at a time.

Rule of thumb: pick JPG for photos, PNG when you need transparency or crisp lines, and WebP to publish on the web with light files. Only turn to GIF or BMP when a system asks for that specific format, and, in those cases, know that GIF comes out still and BMP comes out heavy. If the file is still heavy after the switch, the next step is to reduce the image file size; and SVG, TIFF and AVIF have their own guide: how to convert SVG to PNG and TIFF or AVIF to JPG.