How the free online image converter works
The choice of image format comes down to three questions. Does it need transparency? Then PNG or WebP, not JPG. Is it a photo? Then JPG or WebP will be far smaller than PNG. Does it need to open everywhere? Then JPG and PNG are the safe choices, while HEIC, AVIF and TIFF are not shown by every browser or program.
iPhone photos are saved as HEIC, which most Windows programs and upload forms reject. Converting HEIC to JPG is the most common fix, and it happens entirely on your device here: the HEIC decoder is fetched only when you press Convert.
Some image formats need a full desktop program to read: Photoshop PSD and PSB, GIMP XCF, Illustrator AI, EPS and PostScript, Windows EMF and WMF metafiles, camera RAW DNG and CAD DXF. For those, and only those, the file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted with ImageMagick, GIMP, Ghostscript, Inkscape, LibRaw or pstoedit in a private temporary folder, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back. Each of those pages says so above the converter.
Which image format should you use?
Picking an image format comes down to three questions. Is it a photo? Then JPG or WebP will be far smaller than PNG at the same visual quality. Does it need transparency, like a logo on a coloured background? Then PNG or WebP, because JPG cannot store it. Does it have to open everywhere, including old software and upload forms? Then JPG or PNG, which every program reads.
Newer formats such as HEIC and AVIF compress better still, but support is patchy: HEIC opens natively only on Apple devices, and AVIF is not yet understood by many desktop programs. That is why converting HEIC to JPG is one of the most common image conversions of all.
For print and archiving, TIFF stores images losslessly with a lot of flexibility. For icons, ICO is what Windows and browsers expect. And for documents, turning images into a PDF gives one page per image, the format most forms and portals accept.
Image formats compared
| Format | Compression | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| AI | Lossless | logos, illustrations and print artwork made in Illustrator |
| ARW | Lossy or lossless | Sony Alpha cameras, from the A100 DSLR to the A7 and A9 series |
| AVIF | Lossy or lossless | images served by modern websites and CDNs |
| BMP | Lossless | Windows software, embedded displays and legacy tools |
| CR2 | Lossless | Canon EOS cameras made from 2004 to about 2018 |
| CUR | Lossless | custom mouse pointers for Windows and for websites |
| DCR | Lossless | Kodak professional DCS cameras such as the DCS Pro 14n |
| DDS | Lossy or lossless | textures in games and 3D engines, and game mods |
| DIB | Lossless | Windows programs, the clipboard and some older graphics software |
| DjVu | Lossy or lossless | scanned books, old manuals and digital library archives |
| DNG | Lossy or lossless | raw photos from Leica, Pentax, Google Pixel and iPhone ProRAW, and archived camera raw files |
| DPX | Lossless | film scanning, visual effects and digital cinema work |
| DXF | Lossless | CAD drawings, laser cutting, CNC machining and plotter work |
| EMF | Lossless | charts and clip art copied between Windows programs, and vector pictures in Office documents |
| EMZ | Lossless | pictures inside Office files and web pages saved from Word or PowerPoint |
| EPS | Lossless | logos and artwork for print, and stock vector graphics |
| GIF | Lossless | short looping animations, reactions and simple graphics |
| HEIC | Lossy | photos taken on iPhones and iPads since iOS 11 |
| HEIF | Lossy | photos from Samsung, Sony and other Android cameras that support it |
| ICO | Lossless | website favicons and Windows program icons |
| JFIF | Lossy | images saved from web pages in Chrome and Edge on Windows |
| JPEG | Lossy | camera photos, scanned documents and web images |
| JPG | Lossy | camera photos, web images and email attachments |
| NEF | Lossy or lossless | Nikon DSLR and Z mirrorless cameras |
| NRW | Lossy or lossless | Nikon Coolpix compacts such as the P7000 and P1000 |
| ODG | Lossless | diagrams, flowcharts, posters and floor plans made in LibreOffice Draw |
| ORF | Lossless | Olympus E, PEN and OM-D cameras and OM System models |
| PCX | Lossless | DOS-era graphics, old games and scanning, fax and label software |
| Lossy or lossless | documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files | |
| PEF | Lossless | Pentax DSLRs since the *ist D |
| PNG | Lossless | screenshots, logos, diagrams and anything with transparency |
| PPM | Lossless | output of scientific tools, camera and video software, and image-processing scripts |
| PS | Lossless | print jobs, printer drivers and output from Unix, LaTeX and scientific programs |
| PSB | Lossless | panoramas, billboards, large prints and very high-resolution scans |
| PSD | Lossless | Photoshop artwork, photo retouching, mock-ups and design files |
| RAF | Lossy or lossless | Fujifilm X series and GFX cameras and older FinePix models |
| RAW | Lossy or lossless | Panasonic Lumix cameras made before 2008, such as the FZ18, FZ30 and LX2, and the Leica models built with them |
| RW2 | Lossy or lossless | Panasonic Lumix cameras since the G1 |
| SVG | Lossless | logos, icons, charts and illustrations on the web |
| SVGZ | Lossless | Inkscape drawings and SVG files compressed for storage |
| TGA | Lossless | game textures, 3D rendering and video effects work |
| TIF | Lossy or lossless | scanners, fax software and print shops |
| TIFF | Lossy or lossless | print production, scanning, archiving and medical imaging |
| WebP | Lossy or lossless | images served by websites to save bandwidth |
| WMF | Lossless | clip art collections and pictures in older Word and PowerPoint files |
| WMZ | Lossless | pictures inside older Office documents and web pages saved from them |
| XCF | Lossless | work in progress saved from GIMP, the free image editor |
| XPS | Lossless | documents printed with the Microsoft XPS Document Writer |
Tips for converting image files
- Resize large photos before sharing them; 1920 pixels wide is enough for any screen.
- Save logos, screenshots and diagrams as PNG to keep text and edges sharp.
- Use WebP for images on a website to cut their size by a quarter or more compared with JPG.
- Converting in the browser removes EXIF metadata, including GPS location, so converted photos are safer to post publicly.
Is it safe to convert image files online?
Most conversions here run inside your browser: the page downloads the converter code, and your file is read and processed in the tab on your own device without being sent anywhere. A few formats, such as AI, ARW, CR2 and DCR, need desktop programs and are converted on our conversion server instead. The note under the drop zone says which applies to the format you choose.
When the server is used, the file is sent over an encrypted connection to a private temporary folder that only that conversion uses, converted with an open-source program, and deleted together with the result the moment the result has been sent back. Nothing is stored, and our logs never record file names or contents. Any folder left behind by a failed conversion is removed automatically within ten minutes.
Image Converter FAQ
What is the best image format for photos?
JPG for maximum compatibility, WebP for the smallest files. Both are lossy, and at high quality the difference from the original is invisible.
How do I convert HEIC to JPG?
Drop the HEIC files on the converter above and choose JPG. A HEIC decoder is fetched when you press Convert, and the photos never leave your device.
Will converting an image reduce its quality?
Only when the target is lossy, such as JPG or WebP, and at the default High setting the difference is not visible. Converting to PNG, TIFF or BMP keeps every pixel.
Can I convert several images at once?
Yes. Drop as many as you like; each is converted in about a second and gets its own download button.
Is the image converter free?
Yes, with no sign-up and no watermark. Conversions in your browser have no limit on the number of files; conversions that use our server accept files up to 25 MB each, with a fair-use limit per hour so the service stays fast for everyone. The site is supported by advertising.
Does the image converter work on phones?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. Converted files are saved to your Downloads folder.