Why Chrome Saves Images as WebP — And How to Fix It

You right-click an image on a website, click "Save image as," and notice the filename ends in .webp instead of .jpg or .png. Now the image won't open in your email client, won't upload to the printing website, and your colleague can't view it. Sound familiar?

This happens to millions of people every day. Here's exactly why Chrome does this — and how to fix it instantly.

Why Does Chrome Save Images as WebP?

Chrome saves images in exactly the format the website uses. When you right-click and save, Chrome downloads the original file — it doesn't convert anything.

The reason most images are WebP now: Google developed the WebP format in 2010, and it has become the dominant image format on the web. WebP images are typically 25–35% smaller than equivalent JPG images, which means websites load faster. Google's own research shows that switching to WebP reduces image file sizes by an average of 30% with no visible quality loss.

As of 2026, virtually every major website — Google, Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, Reddit, Wikipedia — serves images in WebP format. When you save these images, you get .webp files.

The Problem With WebP Files

WebP is excellent for websites, but it has a major problem: it doesn't work everywhere. Unlike JPG, which has been around since 1992 and is supported by literally every device and application on the planet, WebP has limited compatibility outside of browsers:

• Windows Photo Viewer — does not support WebP
• Outlook and most email clients — WebP images don't display
• WhatsApp and many messaging apps — may show as broken image
• Print services — won't accept WebP uploads
• Older photo editing software — Photoshop CS versions, Paint, etc.
• Some social media platforms — won't accept WebP uploads

The Fastest Fix: Convert WebP to JPG Online

The quickest solution is to convert your WebP file to JPG using PNG To JPG — free, instant, and your file never leaves your device:

Will My Image Look Different After Converting?

At 85% quality (the default setting), the converted JPG will look virtually identical to the original WebP. The human eye cannot distinguish the difference at this quality level for typical web images. The only trade-off is that the JPG file will be slightly larger than the WebP — but this is the cost of universal compatibility.

If you're printing the image or need maximum quality, use 90–95% quality setting. If file size is important (for email attachments), 75–80% quality produces a noticeably smaller file that still looks great on screen.

Can I Prevent Chrome From Saving as WebP?

Not easily — Chrome saves files in their original format by design. The best approach is to convert after saving. Alternatively, some browser extensions can force saving in JPG format, but these often reduce image quality or require workarounds.

The simplest workflow: save the image as .webp, then convert to JPG using PNG To JPG. The whole process takes under 30 seconds, and you can batch convert multiple WebP files at once.