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WebP: Google's Answer to Bloated Web Images

WebP is an image format created by Google in 2010. Its pitch: smaller files than JPG and PNG, same visual quality. Fourteen years later, it's become the default format for web images on many major sites.

Why WebP Exists

The web runs on images. In 2010, most web images were JPG (for photos) or PNG (for graphics and transparency). Both formats were created in the 1990s—before smartphones, before high-DPI screens, before bandwidth bills for serving billions of images daily.

Google wanted something more efficient. They adapted the VP8 video codec (also theirs) for still images. The result: WebP files that are typically 25-35% smaller than equivalent JPGs and PNGs.

How It Works

WebP offers two compression modes:

  • Lossy: Like JPG, it throws away some image data to shrink the file. Uses more sophisticated algorithms than JPG, so it can throw away less while still getting smaller files.
  • Lossless: Like PNG, it preserves every pixel exactly. Still manages to compress smaller than PNG in most cases.

WebP also supports transparency (which JPG doesn't) and animation (like GIF, but smaller). One format covering all the use cases.

Who Uses WebP?

Pretty much every major website:

  • Google (obviously)
  • Facebook and Instagram
  • Netflix
  • Amazon
  • Most news sites
  • Most e-commerce sites

If you're browsing a modern website, you're probably looking at WebP images without realizing it. Your browser downloads and displays them seamlessly.

Browser Support

WebP is now supported by all major browsers:

  • Chrome (since 2014)
  • Firefox (since 2019)
  • Edge (since Chromium switch)
  • Safari (since 2020 on macOS Big Sur and iOS 14)

The main holdouts are Internet Explorer (dead) and old Safari versions (increasingly rare). For most sites, WebP works for 96%+ of visitors.

WebP Outside the Web

Here's where WebP gets annoying: it's optimized for browsers, not for general use. Some issues you might hit:

  • Email: Some email clients display WebP, some don't. JPG is safer.
  • Office apps: Microsoft Office only added WebP support recently. Older versions won't display it.
  • Photo editing: Photoshop, Lightroom, and other pro tools support it. Simpler apps might not.
  • Printing services: Many only accept JPG or PNG.

If you save a WebP from a website and need to use it elsewhere, you might need to convert it to JPG or PNG.

When to Use WebP

  • Website images: This is WebP's home turf. Smaller files, faster load times, better Core Web Vitals.
  • App assets: Smaller bundle sizes.
  • Any situation where you control the viewing environment and know the client supports WebP.

When to Avoid WebP

  • Email attachments: JPG is universal.
  • Print: Most services want JPG, PNG, or TIFF.
  • Sharing with non-technical users: Not everyone knows what a WebP is or how to open one.
  • Archival: JPG and PNG have decades of guaranteed support. WebP is probably fine, but the formats are less proven for long-term storage.

WebP vs. Newer Formats

AVIF (released 2019) compresses even better than WebP—20-30% smaller at similar quality. But WebP has years of head start on browser adoption and ecosystem support.

For most purposes, WebP is the practical choice. It's "good enough" at compression and works everywhere. See our WebP vs AVIF comparison for more details.

Converting To and From WebP

Need to work with WebP files?