WebP is an image format developed by Google that was released on September 30, 2010. According to Google, it can make images 25-34% smaller.

Why isn’t WebP used more often?

With WebP being a new image format, it has taken time for the major browsers and image editors to develop support for it. Due to the initial lack of support, most developers were hesitant to use the format. However, according to the Can I Use website, WebP now has a 96.3% usability rating as of January 2023. With support available in all major browsers and most image editors, you’ll find WebP used more frequently going forward.

How to convert images into WebP

Google has made a conversion tool called cwebp available for Linux, macOS, and Windows that encodes JPEG, PNG, or TIFF images into WebP. Another utility called gif2webp can convert GIF images into WebP. Additionally, a utility called dwebp can decode WebP images into PNG images. See Google’s precompiled utilities page for further information and download links for each of these utilities.

Internet terms, Web design terms, WebM

Latest versions of most image editors, including Adobe Photoshop, now support WebP.

  • What are the most common file types and file extensions?
  • Official WebP website.
  • All questions relating to computer files and file extensions.