What Is AVIF? How to Convert AVIF to JPG or PNG

To convert AVIF to JPG, open AVIF to JPG, choose your .avif files and download the JPGs. It works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on any device, handles batches, and runs on your device, so nothing is uploaded. If the image has a transparent background you want to keep, use AVIF to PNG instead.

AVIF is a modern image format that websites increasingly use because it makes photos very small. That is great for page speed, but many apps and almost all upload forms still expect JPG or PNG. This guide explains what AVIF is, why you keep running into it, and how to open or convert it.

What is AVIF?

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) stores still images using the compression from the AV1 video codec. It was developed by the Alliance for Open Media, a group that includes Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, Apple, Netflix and others, and it is royalty-free.

What it offers:

• Very small files. Photos are often 30–50% smaller than JPG at similar visual quality, and usually smaller than WebP.
• Transparency, like PNG and WebP.
• HDR and wide colour support.
• Lossy and lossless modes.

The trade-offs are slower encoding and patchier support outside web browsers.

Why sites serve AVIF

When your browser requests an image, it tells the server which formats it can display. Many websites and image CDNs use that to send the smallest format your browser accepts. If your browser lists AVIF, you get AVIF. The image looks normal on the page, but when you right-click and save it, you get an .avif file.

Some Android phones and camera apps can also save photos as AVIF, which is another way these files show up.

How to open AVIF files

Open AVIF on Windows

The quickest way is to drag the file into a browser window. To view it in the Photos app, recent Windows versions support AVIF, but on some PCs you first need to install the AV1 Video Extension from the Microsoft Store. If that does not help, converting to JPG is the reliable fix.

Open AVIF on Mac

Recent macOS versions open AVIF in Preview and Safari directly. On an older Mac, open it in Chrome or Firefox, or convert it.

Open AVIF on Android and iPhone

Current Chrome on Android and Safari on recent iOS display AVIF. Whether your gallery app shows it depends on the phone. If it does not appear, convert it in the browser.

How to convert AVIF to JPG

1. Open AVIF to JPG.
2. Choose one or more AVIF files.
3. They convert automatically. Download each JPG or all of them as a ZIP.

The converter uses your browser's built-in AVIF decoder when it has one, and a WebAssembly decoder when it does not, so it also works on browsers that cannot display AVIF themselves.

AVIF to JPG on Windows

Use the browser converter above. You can also open the AVIF in Paint and use File > Save as > JPEG picture if your Windows version can read AVIF, but the browser route works regardless of extensions.

AVIF to JPG on Mac

On recent macOS, open the AVIF in Preview, choose File > Export, set Format to JPEG and save. Otherwise, use the browser converter.

AVIF to JPG on iPhone and Android

Open the converter in Safari or Chrome, pick the file, and download. On iPhone the JPG goes to the Files app; on Android it goes to Downloads.

AVIF to JPG without losing quality

JPG is lossy, so conversion re-compresses the image. At the default 92% the JPG looks the same as the AVIF on screen. Expect the JPG to be larger than the AVIF, sometimes much larger, because AVIF compresses so efficiently. That is normal.

If a form has a size limit, compress the JPG afterwards with compress image to 100 KB or a similar target tool. Converting cannot bring back detail the website removed when it created the AVIF, so try to save the largest version of the image you can.

AVIF to PNG: when to choose it

Choose AVIF to PNG when:

• The image has a transparent background (a logo, a sticker, a product cut-out). JPG would fill it with white.
• You want a lossless copy to edit.

The PNG will be several times larger than the AVIF. For photos you just need to share or upload, JPG is the better choice.

A note on HDR: if the AVIF contains HDR or wide-gamut colour, JPG and PNG output are standard 8-bit, so the extra range is reduced to normal colours.

Going the other way: JPG to AVIF

If you run a website, AVIF can make your pages lighter. JPG to AVIF converts photos in your browser, with a quality slider (60% is the default and a good starting point for photos). Serve AVIF with a JPG or WebP fallback for older browsers. Our AVIF vs WebP vs JPG comparison explains when AVIF is worth it.

Common mistakes

• Renaming .avif to .jpg. The data is still AVIF. Forms that check the content will reject it, and many apps will show an error.
• Uploading AVIF to a portal. Exam, job and government sites rarely accept it. Convert to JPG and check the extension.
• Saving a thumbnail. Open the full-size image before saving, or you will convert a small preview.
• Choosing JPG for a transparent image. Use PNG to keep the transparency.
• Being surprised by a bigger JPG. It is expected. Compress it if the size matters.

AVIF is an efficient web format you will see more and more. Keep it for the web, and convert to JPG or PNG whenever an image needs to go somewhere else.

Questions