Written by Sam Taylor — Full-Stack Developer. building web tools for years. Built Formly to replace 15 bookmarked converter sites with one URL. More about me →
A friend emailed me a product photo last week. Her Outlook refused to display it. The file was a .webp — Google's image format, which Microsoft's email client still doesn't support 16 years after WebP was released. This happens constantly. WebP makes the web faster but creates friction everywhere else. Here's what it is, why it exists, and how to deal with it.
WebP is an image format developed by Google, released in 2010. It uses advanced compression to create files 25-35% smaller than JPEG or PNG at the same quality. WebP supports lossy compression (like JPEG), lossless compression (like PNG), transparency, and animation (like GIF) — all in one format.
Despite 97% browser support, WebP fails outside the browser: Microsoft Office can't insert WebP images, many CMS platforms reject WebP uploads, email clients can't preview WebP attachments, and older software (Photoshop CS6, older Lightroom) can't open WebP without plugins. This is why WebP to PNG converters and WebP to JPG converters are essential tools — they convert WebP to universally compatible formats.
| Feature | WebP | JPEG | PNG |
|---|---|---|---|
| File size | Smallest | Medium | Largest |
| Web support | 97% | 100% | 100% |
| Desktop app support | Limited | Universal | Universal |
| Transparency | Yes | No | Yes |
| Animation | Yes | No | No |
Written by Sam Taylor — Full-Stack Developer. building web tools for years. Built Formly to replace 15 bookmarked converter sites with one URL. More about me →