WebP is a relatively new image file format from Google designed to make web pages load faster and consume less bandwidth. It’s gradually becoming supported by more and more operating systems and programs, and you’ll notice various websites serving images in WebP formats today.

convert webp to jpg on mac
IMAGE: Glenn Carstens-Peters (Unsplash)

If you’re on a Mac, you can use Preview to open WebP images with no problem. However, there are instances when WebP images can run you into issues. For such times, converting your WebP images into a more traditional image file format, like JPEG, before using them elsewhere is a wise step.

Follow along as we list down the different ways to convert WebP images to JPG on Mac.

Method 1: Convert WebP to JPG Using Preview

Preview is the built-in image and PDF viewer in macOS. It supports various image formats and offers tools for various image manipulation operations, including WebP to JPEG conversion.

Follow these steps to convert WebP to JPG on Mac using Preview:

  1. Open Finder and navigate to the folder that contains the WebP image(s) you want to convert to JPEG.
  2. Double-click on an image to open it.
  3. Click on File in the menu bar and select Export.
    finder export options on mac
  4. In the export dialog box, click on the dropdown button beside Format and select JPEG from the list. If you wish to convert the image to another format, like PNG, select it from the menu.
  5. Slide the Quality slider all the way to the right for Best quality.
  6. Add a name in the Export As field and select the save location using the Where dropdown button.
    converting webp to jpeg in preview
  7. Hit Save to save the image file.

Once saved as a JPEG (or a PNG file), you can now open the image in any program or share it without worrying about compatibility issues.

Method 2: Batch Convert WebP Images to JPG

Preview is great for converting a WebP image to JPEG, but it will soon become a tedious task with Preview if you want to convert more than one WebP image at once. This is where tools like Automator come into play.

Automator is an automation program in macOS that lets you automate mundane and repetitive tasks on your Mac. For instance, using Automator, you can create workflows to automate PDF conversion, batch rename images, or resize images in bulk, among other things.

Converting WebP to JPEG is another useful application of Automator. Here are the steps to create an Automator workflow for this:

  1. Open Automator.
  2. In the choose a type of document window, select Quick Action and hit Choose. We’re choosing Quick Action since this will enable us to run the workflow from Finder.
    selecting workflow type in automator
  3. Click on the dropdown next to Workflow receives current and select image files from the menu. Similarly, from the in dropdown, select Finder.app.
    setting file and app type in automator
  4. Click on the Name field in the left-hand pane and type Change Type of Images. Click-drag it to the workflow area on the right. If prompted to confirm the action, hit Add.
    adding image conversion action in automator
  5. Hit the x button in the Copy Finder Items action.
    removing duplicate action from workflow
  6. In the Change Type of Images, click on the To Type dropdown and select JPEG. To batch convert WebP images to PNG, select PNG.
    selecting preferred conversion format in automator workflow
  7. Hit Command + S keyboard shortcut or go to File > Save. Give this quick action workflow a name and hit Save. For future reference, let’s call this workflow Convert to JPG.
    saving automator workflow

Now that you’ve created the workflow, follow these steps to use it to bulk convert images to JPG:

  1. Using Finder, navigate to the folder containing the WebP images you want to convert to JPEG.
  2. Select all the images you wish to convert, right-click on the selection, and select Quick Actions > Convert to JPG. If you named your quick action something else, choose it from the Quick Action menu.
    converting multiple webp images to jpg using workflow

Automator will now convert all your WebP images to JPG files.

Method 3: Use WebP Converter to Convert WebP Images to JPG

If you want an easier way to convert WebP images to JPG, WebP Converter is a great tool. It’s free, easy to use, and lets you convert WebP images to both JPG as well as PNG formats. Download it from the link below and use the following steps to convert WebP images to JPEG on your Mac.

Download: WebP Converter

  1. Open WebP Converter.
  2. Click on Add Files.
  3. Select the WebP image(s) for conversion and hit Open.
    adding webp images to webp converter
  4. Click the first dropdown at the bottom to select the format to which you want to convert the selected image(s).
  5. Move the compression ratio slider to adjust the quality of the output image file.
  6. Hit Convert to convert the WebP image(s) to JPG or your selected format. If prompted to select the save location, choose one and hit OK.
    converting webp images to jpg on mac using webp converter

Converting WebP Images to JPG Is Easier Than You Think

It’s fairly easy to convert WebP images to JPG on Mac. And depending on how you wish to do it, you can pick your preferred method from the ones listed above to convert images to JPG.

Of course, there are differences in how these methods work, and therefore, you may notice a difference in the file size of the images you convert using these methods. This is probably due to factors like compression and metadata contained in the file. But all in all, these methods greatly simplify the entire process and eliminate the need for paid or full-fledged image editor programs.

FAQs About Converting WebP Images to JPG

Unfortunately, Chrome doesn't offer a flip switch that you can toggle off to stop it from saving images in WebP. However, you can use a Chrome extension, Same image as Type, which gives you a context menu to choose the format in which you want to save a file.

Download and install Save image as Type on Chrome. Then, when you want to save an image, right-click on it, and select Save image as JPG/PNG/WebP > Save as JPG.

Similar to converting .webp files to .jpg, you can also convert a .webp image to a .png one in a few different ways. Check out the guide above to find out the steps to do this on your Mac.

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