What a WEBP file actually is
WebP is Google's image format from 2010. It does what JPG and PNG do, lossy and lossless, with transparency and animation, in files roughly a quarter to a third smaller. That size advantage is why almost every site now serves it, and why the image you right-click and save from a web page comes down as .webp even when the page called it a JPG.
You also meet it without a website. WhatsApp and Telegram stickers are WebP files with transparency, 512 pixels square. Google Play screenshots, Shopify product images and most CDN-optimised photos are WebP behind the scenes.
The format is not the problem; the age of the software is. Support arrived in browsers by 2020, in iOS 14, Android 4.0, macOS Big Sur, Windows 10 with an extension, Photoshop 23.2 in early 2022 and Microsoft 365 the same year. Anything older than that shows a broken icon, and the fix is either an update or a ten-second conversion to JPG or PNG below.
How to open a WEBP file on each device
Windows
Windows 11 and recent Windows 10 open WebP in Photos and Paint. Older Windows 10 shows a blank icon until the free WebP Image Extensions package is installed from the Microsoft Store, or until you open the file in a browser, which always works. Paint has saved WebP since 2023.
macOS
Preview, Quick Look and Photos open WebP since Big Sur, and Safari since version 14. On an older Mac, drag the file into any browser, or convert it below.
iPhone and iPad
Photos and Files show WebP since iOS 14. Saving a WebP from Safari into Photos works, and sharing it converts it to JPG automatically in most apps. To edit it in an app that refuses, convert to PNG or JPG first.
Android
Native since Android 4.0, and Android is where WebP was born. Gallery, Files by Google and every messaging app show it. WhatsApp stickers are WebP, which is why they display everywhere on Android.
In a browser
Every browser since 2020 renders WebP, including Safari from version 14. If a browser is what you have to hand, dragging the file into a tab is the quickest way to see it. The box above uses exactly that.
In Photoshop, GIMP, Office and other editors
Photoshop opens and saves WebP from version 23.2, released February 2022; earlier versions need Google's plug-in or a converted file. GIMP reads it since 2.10, Affinity since 1.9, and Word, PowerPoint and Outlook accept it in Microsoft 365 but not in Office 2019 or older. For all of those, convert to PNG to keep transparency or JPG for photos.
When it will not open, or opens wrong
Windows shows a blank icon and Photos will not open it
An older Windows 10 without the WebP codec. The file is fine.
The fix: Install WebP Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store, open the file in Edge or Chrome, or convert it to JPG or PNG below.
Photoshop or Office says the format is not supported
Photoshop before 23.2 and Office before Microsoft 365 predate WebP support.
The fix: Convert to PNG if the image has transparency, JPG if it is a photo. The image converter does it in the browser and keeps the pixels as they are.
The site called it a JPG but the download is a WebP
Servers send WebP to browsers that accept it, whatever the link said. Nothing was renamed; you were served a different file than the one the URL promised.
The fix: Convert to JPG below, or request the original by opening the image URL in a browser that does not advertise WebP support, which is now rare.
A form or marketplace rejects the upload
Plenty of upload forms still list only JPG, PNG and GIF.
The fix: Convert to the format the form names. JPG for photos, PNG where the transparent background matters.
Transparency turned black after converting
JPG has no alpha channel, so a transparent background becomes solid.
The fix: Convert to PNG instead. A WhatsApp sticker, in particular, needs PNG to stay a cut-out.
An animated WebP became a still image
JPG and PNG hold one frame, so a conversion keeps only the first.
The fix: Keep the WebP for animation, or convert it to a GIF or video with a tool that reads animated WebP; the image converter here handles single frames.
What to do with it next
Questions people ask
What is a WEBP file?
An image format from Google that packs the same picture into a file about a quarter smaller than JPG or PNG, with support for transparency and animation. Websites serve it to save bandwidth.
How do I open a WEBP file on Windows?
Double-click it in Windows 11 or a current Windows 10. On an older Windows 10 install the free WebP Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store, or open it in any browser.
How do I convert WEBP to JPG?
Use the image converter on this site: drop the file, pick JPG, download. It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Pick PNG instead if the image has a transparent background.
Why do websites give me WEBP instead of JPG?
Because the browser told the server it accepts WebP, and the server sent the smaller file. The page can call it a JPG; what arrives is whatever the server chose to send.
Does converting WEBP to JPG lose quality?
Slightly, because both are lossy and the JPG re-encodes what WebP already compressed. At a high JPG quality setting it is not visible. Convert to PNG to lose nothing.
Is a WEBP file safe to open?
It is an image format like any other, decoded by the same libraries browsers use. Keep the browser and operating system updated, as with any image, and it is as safe as a JPG.