Why Convert PNG to WebP
PNG is a lossless format - it never discards image data, which makes it reliable but also means it compresses much less aggressively than modern formats. A screenshot, icon, or UI graphic saved as PNG is very often several times larger than it needs to be for how it's actually used: displayed on a screen, not archived pixel-for-pixel. WebP was designed specifically to compress this kind of content - flat colors, sharp edges, repeated patterns - far more efficiently, while still supporting the same full transparency PNG offers. Converting a PNG image to WebP typically means a noticeably smaller file with no visible difference in a browser.
How to Convert PNG to WebP
Upload your PNG
Drag it in or click Upload Your Image - the tool auto-detects the PNG.
WebP is already selected
This page defaults Convert To to WebP, so there's nothing to change unless you want a different format.
Optionally set a target size
Leave it on Best Quality, or pick a KB target (20/50/100/200KB or custom) if you need a specific file size.
Click Convert
The WebP file downloads automatically as soon as it's ready - no extra download step.
PNG vs WebP
Compression. PNG uses lossless compression only - it can shrink a file somewhat, but every original pixel is preserved exactly. WebP supports both lossless and lossy modes; this converter uses lossy WebP by default, which is what unlocks its much smaller file sizes.
File size. For typical web graphics - screenshots, icons, illustrations - WebP files often come in well under half the size of an equivalent PNG. The gap is smaller on already-simple images and larger on more detailed or photographic ones.
Transparency. Both formats support a full alpha channel. Converting a transparent PNG to WebP keeps every transparent and semi-transparent pixel exactly as it was - see the FAQ below for more on this.
Image quality. Because WebP's size savings mostly come from lossy compression, there's a genuine quality tradeoff, though at high quality it's usually not noticeable on screen. If you need a guaranteed-lossless copy instead, keeping the file as PNG - or converting to PNG from another format via our JPG to PNG converter - is the safer choice.
Browser and web usage. Every modern browser supports WebP natively, and it's been the recommended format for web images by major performance guides for several years now. PNG remains universally supported too, but at a real cost in page weight for content that doesn't need lossless precision.
When WebP makes sense: publishing images on a website or app where load time matters - which is most of the time. When PNG is preferable: source files you'll keep editing, situations demanding pixel-perfect lossless output, or compatibility with older tools that don't read WebP.
Reducing File Size Further
If a screenshot or graphic still needs to be smaller than WebP's default quality produces, this tool lets you target a specific file size - 20KB, 50KB, 100KB, 200KB, or a custom value - instead of just picking a quality percentage. It searches for the highest quality that still fits your target, and only reduces the image's dimensions as a last resort if quality alone can't get there. There's a real floor to how small any image can get without becoming visibly degraded, so an extremely aggressive target on a large or detailed source may not be fully reachable - the tool reports honestly when that happens rather than pretending otherwise.
Common Use Cases
- ·Shrinking screenshots before embedding them in documentation, a blog post, or a support article.
- ·Preparing app icons, UI elements and illustrations for a website without inflating page weight.
- ·Converting exported design assets (from Figma, Sketch, etc.) that default to PNG into a web-ready format.
- ·Reducing image weight across a site to improve load time and Core Web Vitals scores.
More Ways to Convert
If you're not sure WebP is the right target format, convert PNG to JPG instead when the image is a photo with no transparency and you want maximum compatibility, or convert PNG to AVIF for even smaller files if your audience uses modern browsers. Already working with JPG source images instead of PNG? Use our JPG to WebP converter to get the same WebP size benefits from a JPG starting point.
Frequently Asked Questions
For most screenshots, icons, illustrations and other UI graphics, yes - WebP's compression handles flat colors, sharp edges and repeated patterns more efficiently than PNG's, often producing a file well under half the size at visually equivalent quality. The exact savings depend on the image; a busy, noisy image compresses less dramatically than a simple, flat-color graphic.
WebP supports both lossless and lossy encoding. This tool uses WebP's lossy mode by default (the same mode responsible for its size advantage), so there's a genuine quality-for-size tradeoff, controlled by the quality/target size you choose. At high quality settings, the visual difference is typically minor to unnoticeable on screen, but it isn't a bit-for-bit lossless copy the way a PNG-to-PNG re-save would be.
Yes. WebP has a full alpha channel, just like PNG, so transparent and semi-transparent areas in your source PNG are preserved in the converted WebP - nothing gets flattened onto a background color.
For most web use cases - photos, screenshots, icons, illustrations - yes, because smaller image files mean faster page loads, which affects both user experience and search ranking factors like Core Web Vitals. PNG still makes sense when you need guaranteed lossless output (e.g. a master file you'll keep editing) or need to support very old software that doesn't read WebP.
Upload your PNG using the tool above, leave the output format on WebP (it's already selected on this page), optionally set a target file size, and click Convert. The WebP file downloads automatically - no account, install, or extra steps required.
Yes, this converter is completely free with no usage limit, watermark, or account requirement. Every conversion runs through the same optimization engine regardless of how often you use it.
In practice, yes - a smaller file transfers faster over the network, which is the dominant factor in how quickly an image appears on a page. Decoding speed differences between WebP and PNG in the browser are typically negligible compared to the download-time savings from a smaller file.
For images you're publishing on a website, generally yes, given the file size savings with no meaningful downside for modern browsers. Keep PNG for source/master files you intend to keep editing losslessly, or for the rare case where you specifically need broad compatibility with very old tools that don't support WebP.
Yes - transparent regions stay transparent, and edges around cut-out shapes (like an icon or a logo on a transparent background) are preserved cleanly since WebP's alpha channel works the same way PNG's does.
The tool searches for the highest quality (and, if necessary, a slightly reduced image size) that still fits under your chosen KB target. If an extremely small target isn't achievable at a reasonable quality, the tool returns the smallest result it found and clearly reports that the target wasn't met, rather than silently degrading the image or claiming success.
The conversion is handled by cloudvertify's optimization engine and the file isn't stored afterward - it's processed for your conversion and then discarded.