What is a .webp file?
Web Picture format · Image · Google · 2010
WebP is Google's image format built for the web. It makes photos and graphics smaller than JPEG or PNG while keeping similar quality, and it supports transparency and animation, so it often replaces both PNG and GIF on modern sites.
What is a .webp file used for?
WebP comes in two flavours: lossy (like a smarter JPEG) and lossless (like a smaller PNG). Both usually beat the older formats on file size, which is why Google, and most speed-focused sites, serve images as WebP.
It also supports an alpha channel for transparency and can hold short animations, letting one format cover the jobs of JPEG, PNG and GIF at once.
Nearly every current browser reads WebP. The friction is on the desktop: some older photo tools and social platforms still expect JPG or PNG, so people convert WebP back when they hit one.
What opens a .webp file?
The .webp format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.
Windows
- Photos
- Edge and Chrome
- IrfanView
- Paint.NET
macOS
- Preview (macOS 11+)
- Safari
- GIMP
Linux
- GIMP
- gThumb
- Firefox
- ImageMagick
Web
- Any modern browser
Open a .webp file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .webp. Drop it into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads its signature in your browser without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with Photos or Edge and Chrome.
- On Mac, use Preview (macOS 11+) or Safari.
- On Linux, try GIMP or gThumb.
- Still stuck? Convert the .webp to PNG, which opens more widely.
Why can't I open my .webp file?
Almost always because no installed app understands WebP. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads. If double-clicking opens the wrong program instead of nothing at all, the file association is set to the wrong app rather than the file being broken.
The other possibility is that the file is not really a .webp at all. Drop it into the file identifier to check it by its bytes instead of its name. Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert a .webp file
You can convert a .webp file to PNG, JPG, GIF.
GIMP opens WebP out of the box and exports to PNG or JPG through File then Export As. Going to JPG loses the alpha channel, so use PNG if the image has transparency.
Convert images free: ImageConvert
What is the .webp file signature (magic bytes)?
A .webp file starts with the hex bytes 52 49 46 46 ?? ?? ?? ?? 57 45 42 50, which read as RIFF....WEBP in ASCII. Programs identify WebP by those bytes, not by the filename, so a renamed file still gives itself away.
These are the documented signatures for WebP. For a full breakdown, see the WebP file signature page.
| Hex signature | Offset | ASCII | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52 49 46 46 ?? ?? ?? ?? 57 45 42 50 | 0 | RIFF....WEBP | RIFF....WEBP |
See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .webp file?
WebP is Google's image format built for the web. It makes photos and graphics smaller than JPEG or PNG while keeping similar quality, and it supports transparency and animation, so it often replaces both PNG and GIF on modern sites.
Why did I download a WebP instead of a JPG?
Many sites serve images as WebP to load faster. Your browser saved exactly what the site sent. Convert it to JPG or PNG if another app refuses it.
Is WebP better than PNG?
For most photos and graphics, lossless WebP is smaller than PNG at the same quality. PNG still wins on universal software support and simple pixel-perfect editing.
Comparisons
Related formats
Sources
Details on this page were checked against authoritative references. How sources are ranked and what is deliberately left out is set out in the methodology.