What is WebP and Why Isn't It Supported Everywhere?
WebP is an image format developed by Google in 2010 and open-sourced in 2011. It provides superior compression compared to JPEG and PNG: WebP lossy images are typically 25–34% smaller than equivalent JPEGs, and WebP lossless images are 26% smaller than PNGs. It's widely used on websites to improve page load speeds.
The challenge is adoption. While all major browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari 14+, Edge) support WebP, many desktop applications were built before WebP became mainstream. If your software was last updated before 2018–2019, it likely won't open WebP files.
Why Photoshop Won't Open WebP Files
Adobe Photoshop added native WebP support in version 23.2, released in February 2022. If you're running an older Creative Cloud version or an older perpetual license, Photoshop will refuse to open .webp files. The fix:
- Update Photoshop to version 23.2+ through Creative Cloud.
- Or convert the WebP to PNG using our WebP to PNG converter and open the PNG in Photoshop. PNG is lossless, so no quality is lost in the conversion.
Why Your CMS or Upload Form Rejects WebP
Many content management systems (WordPress before 5.8, older Squarespace themes, some e-commerce platforms) don't accept WebP image uploads. Print services, photo labs, and stock image sites also commonly reject WebP because their processing pipelines were built around JPEG and PNG.
The solution is straightforward: convert your WebP to JPG before uploading. Our WebP to JPG converter takes seconds and produces a file that is universally accepted.
Why Windows Can't Open WebP Files
The old Windows Photo Viewer (from Windows 7 era, sometimes still the default on older Windows 10 installations) does not support WebP. The modern Windows Photos app — included with Windows 10 1809+ and Windows 11 — does support WebP. If your files open as broken icons, you may be using the legacy viewer.
Right-click the WebP file, select "Open with," and choose "Photos." If that doesn't work, use Converter.Plus to convert to JPG.
Where Do WebP Files Come From?
You may have a WebP file because:
- You right-clicked and saved an image in Chrome — Chrome saves images in their native format, which is often WebP on modern sites.
- You downloaded a product photo from an e-commerce website that serves WebP for performance.
- A developer sent you optimized image assets.
- A web builder or design tool exported your images as WebP.
The Instant Fix: Convert WebP to JPG or PNG
Converting your WebP file to JPG or PNG gives you a universally compatible image that opens in every app and uploads to every platform.
- Open converter.plus/webp-to-jpg in any browser.
- Drag your WebP file onto the drop zone.
- Click Convert.
- Download your JPG. Done.
For images with transparency, use WebP to PNG instead — PNG preserves the transparent background that JPG cannot.