When to Convert WebP to PNG
Converting WebP to PNG gives you universal compatibility with older software and platforms. Your PNG file will open everywhere—from legacy versions of Photoshop (CS6 and earlier) to Windows Paint to email clients that block WebP images. Transparency is fully preserved.
The main reason to convert WebP to PNG is compatibility with older software that doesn't recognize Google's newer format. Adobe Photoshop added native WebP support in version 23.2 (2022)—if you're using CS6, CC 2019, or earlier, you need PNG. Email clients, Windows Photo Viewer on older systems, and some CMS platforms also require PNG instead of WebP.
PNG files are larger than equivalent WebP images because PNG's DEFLATE compression is less efficient than WebP's VP8 encoding—a phone photo in our test was 16.8 MB as PNG and 1.26 MB as WebP. However, PNG opens everywhere without plugins or updates—every operating system since Windows 95 displays PNG natively.
WebP vs PNG: Key Differences
If you need transparency and your software doesn't support WebP, PNG is your only practical option. JPG discards transparency entirely, replacing it with a solid background. GIF supports transparency but only binary (fully opaque or fully transparent), creating harsh edges. PNG supports 256 levels of transparency for smooth, anti-aliased edges.
Some platforms explicitly block WebP uploads. WordPress allowed WebP starting in version 5.8 (2021), but many hosting providers disable it for security reasons. Print-on-demand services like Printful and Printify require PNG or JPG—WebP isn't accepted. Converting to PNG ensures your files work on these platforms.
Consider alternatives before converting. If you don't need transparency, use WebP to JPG instead—it produces smaller files than PNG. If your WebP contains photos without transparent areas, JPG is the better choice for compatibility and file size.
Why People Convert WebP to PNG
Legacy Photoshop versions: Adobe added WebP support in Photoshop 23.2 (March 2022). If you're using CS6, CC 2017-2021, or any perpetual license version, you need PNG to open web-downloaded images. Converting WebP to PNG lets you edit images in older Photoshop without upgrading your software.
Print services and professional printing: Commercial printers accept PNG, JPG, or TIFF—not WebP. If you're sending graphics to a print shop for business cards, posters, or merchandise, convert to PNG first. For photos without transparency, convert to JPG instead—printers prefer JPG for photographs.
Older Windows systems: Windows 10 version 1809 and earlier don't display WebP thumbnails in File Explorer. The Photos app on these systems shows an error instead of the image. Converting to PNG ensures your images display correctly in Windows Photo Viewer and File Explorer thumbnails on older systems.
Older email clients: Outlook 2016 and earlier versions don't display WebP attachments. Gmail's web interface supports WebP, but some mobile email apps show blank placeholders instead. Converting to PNG ensures recipients see your images without requiring them to download external software.
What You'll Get
- Full transparency support — alpha channel and transparent backgrounds carry over perfectly
- Lossless pixel data — every pixel from the WebP appears identically in PNG output
- Immediate conversion — standard images convert in seconds, large files under a minute
- Standard colors — sRGB images keep their colors; embedded ICC profiles and EXIF data are not copied to the PNG
- Lossless output — the PNG keeps every pixel of the decoded WebP
- Clean output — no watermarks, logos, or added metadata
- Cross-platform processing — works in any browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, or mobile
When to Use WebP vs PNG
WebP files are smaller than PNG: in our test a 1920×1080 screenshot was 92 KB as WebP and 199 KB as PNG, and a phone photo 1.26 MB as WebP against 16.8 MB as PNG. This makes WebP ideal for modern websites. However, not every application or platform accepts WebP yet:
| Feature | WebP | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| Developed by | Google (2010) | PNG Development Group (1996) |
| Compression | Lossy and lossless | Lossless only |
| File size | Smaller (several times smaller in our test) | Larger (better quality) |
| Transparency support | Yes (alpha channel) | Yes (alpha channel) |
| Software compatibility | Limited | Universal |
| Editing software support | Improving | Excellent |
| Color depth | 24-bit (with alpha) | 48-bit (with alpha) |
| Best for | Web delivery | Editing and design |
What to Expect: File Sizes and Quality
Expect the PNG to be several times larger than the source WebP: in our test a screenshot grew from 92 KB to 199 KB, and a phone photo from 1.26 MB to 16.8 MB. That increase is the cost of universal compatibility—PNG compresses less efficiently than WebP, but opens in every image viewer and editor.
If your WebP was saved with lossy compression (the default for most web images), the PNG output preserves that quality level. Converting to PNG doesn't restore detail already discarded during WebP compression. The PNG will match the WebP's appearance exactly—no quality improvement or degradation.
For web publishing, keep images in WebP format. Only convert to PNG when you specifically need compatibility with software that can't read WebP. A typical workflow: use WebP for website delivery, but convert to PNG before opening in older versions of Photoshop or sending to clients with outdated systems.
Related Conversion Tools
- PNG to WebP — optimize PNG files for modern web delivery
- WebP to JPG — use instead if you don't need transparency (smaller files)
- PNG to WebP — reverse conversion for modern web delivery
- PNG to JPG — remove transparency for even smaller files
- All Image Tools — browse all image conversion options