How to convert WebP Images to JPEG or PNG format? Detailed guide

The WebP image format developed by Google is highly efficient in terms of compression and can display images at a reduced size of around 33% compared to formats like JPEG or PNG. Despite being in use for a considerable amount of time and being integrated into various Google products, some popular image tools such as Microsoft's Photos app do not have complete support for WebP. However, it is compatible with the older Windows Photo Viewer. If you need to change a WebP image to a more widely recognized format, here's how to do it.

Using MS Paint

To convert WebP images to other formats, you can use the pre-installed MS Paint software on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC. MS Paint offers an effective solution as it supports the conversion of WebP images into various other formats such as JPEG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, and more, without requiring any additional software installations.

To initiate the process, simply right-click on the WebP image and choose "Open With > Paint" if it is not already the default option for opening WebP files.

After opening the image in Paint, go to "File > Save As" and select the preferred format from the options given. Next, select the destination folder for the converted file and click "Save" to finish the conversion process.

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Editing  URL

You may be able to alter the URL of an image to display it in a different format in certain instances. 

To get started, open a browser that allows WebP image display, such as Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Safari, or Opera. Then, visit a website that leverages WebP images to conserve bandwidth, such as any app listings available on play.google.com.

To proceed, right-click or long-press on any of the images, then choose "Open Image in New Tab." Doing so will launch the WebP image in a new tab with a direct URL to the image asset.

Next, click on the URL bar and remove the last three characters of the address (the "-rw"). Afterwards, hit "Enter" to reload the same image in its original format, which is usually JPEG or PNG. To download the image in its original format like any other file, right-click or long-press the image and select "Save image as."

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Enabling Internet Explorer Mode in Microsoft Edge

For those browsing with Microsoft Edge, it's important to note that Internet Explorer does not support the WEBP format. This means that websites using .webp files will have to serve JPEG or PNG versions of those images to users accessing the site through Microsoft Edge in Internet Explorer mode.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Open Microsoft Edge and click on the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner of the window.
2. Scroll down and click on "Settings".
3. Click on "Default browser".
4. Click on "Use Internet Explorer mode".
5. Close the settings tab.

Now that Internet Explorer mode is enabled, you can browse websites that use .webp images and download the JPEG or PNG versions of those images by following these steps:

1. Open the website in Microsoft Edge.
2. Click on the three-dot menu icon.
3. Scroll down and click on "More tools".
4. Click on "Reload in Internet Explorer mode".
5. The website will reload in Internet Explorer mode. Right-click on the image and select "Save image as" to download it as a JPEG or PNG file.

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