What happens when you convert GIF to PNG
- The image is decoded and written as a lossless 32-bit PNG.
- PNG cannot animate, so only the first frame of an animated GIF is kept.
How to convert GIF to PNG online
- Press "Choose GIF files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. You can add files of any size your device can hold in memory.
- Adjust the settings if you need to. The output is lossless, so there is no quality setting to worry about.
- Press "Convert to PNG". Images convert in a second or two each.
- Save each PNG with its download button. Close the tab and every trace of the files is gone from memory.
Why convert GIF to PNG?
GIF files usually come from short looping animations, reactions and simple graphics. People convert them to PNG because PNG keeps sharp edges, text and transparency without any loss.
In short, GIF is good at what it was made for, and PNG is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. GIF opens and animates in every browser, while PNG opens in every browser and image viewer.
How to convert GIF to PNG on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your GIF files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each PNG is saved to your Downloads folder. Paint can also re-save an image as PNG with Save as, provided Windows can open the GIF in the first place.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the GIF files from Finder onto the drop zone and the PNG files land in Downloads. Preview can do single images too: open the file, choose File, then Export, and pick PNG.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose GIF files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted PNG appears in Files, in the Downloads folder; to put it in your photo library, open it there, tap Share and choose Save Image.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose GIF files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The PNG is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for GIF to PNG
PNG is written losslessly, so there is no quality setting to get wrong. The Maximum width setting is there if you need a smaller image: it scales down before saving and never scales up.
GIF vs PNG: the differences
| GIF | PNG | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Graphics Interchange Format | Portable Network Graphics |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | CompuServe | the PNG Development Group |
| First released | 1987 | 1996 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | Yes | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | 256 colours per frame from a palette | up to 16 bits per channel with a full alpha channel |
| In a browser | opens and animates in every browser | opens in every browser and image viewer |
| Common uses | short looping animations, reactions and simple graphics | screenshots, logos, diagrams and anything with transparency |
| MIME type | image/gif | image/png |
About GIF and PNG files
What is a GIF file?
GIF stores each frame with a palette of at most 256 colours, so photos turn grainy and animations get large fast. Transparency is on or off per pixel, with no soft edges.
What is a PNG file?
PNG compresses without losing a single pixel, so screenshots and text stay razor sharp, but a photograph saved as PNG is often three to five times the size of the same photo as JPG.
GIF to PNG not working? Common problems
- Colours look slightly different. Browsers convert images to the standard sRGB colour space when they decode them, so wide-gamut and CMYK images can shift a little.
- A phone photo comes out upright even though it looked sideways elsewhere. That is correct: the rotation stored in the photo is applied during conversion, so the PNG is always the right way up.
- The file is bigger than expected. It depends on the settings. At the defaults, the PNG usually comes out close in size to the GIF; lower the quality for a smaller file.
Convert GIF to PNG from the command line
If you work in a terminal, ImageMagick converts GIF to PNG in one line:
magick input.gif output.pngTo convert every GIF in a folder at once, use magick mogrify -format png *.gif. The converter on this page does the same job without installing anything.
GIF to PNG converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting GIF to PNG?
No. PNG is written losslessly, so the result matches the GIF exactly.
Why is the PNG a different size from the GIF?
It depends on the settings. At the defaults, the PNG usually comes out close in size to the GIF; lower the quality for a smaller file.
Are my GIF files uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs inside this browser tab using your browser's own image decoder, so your files stay on your device. You can disconnect from the internet after the page has loaded and it still works.
Can I convert several GIF files to PNG at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a PNG file?
PNG opens in every browser and image viewer. PNG is common for screenshots, logos, diagrams and anything with transparency.
Is this GIF to PNG converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many files you convert. The site is paid for by advertising, and because conversions run on your device there is no server cost per file.
Can I convert GIF to PNG on my phone?
Yes. The converter works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. Converted files are saved to the Downloads folder.