What does a JPG to PNG converter do?
A JPG to PNG converter turns a JPEG image, which uses lossy compression, into a PNG, which uses lossless compression. This tool decodes your JPG in the browser, draws it at its original pixel size, and saves it as PNG. The picture looks the same; what changes is how it's stored and how it behaves when edited.
People usually convert for one of three reasons: an app or upload form only accepts PNG, they want to edit an image repeatedly without each save adding more JPEG artifacts, or they plan to add transparency or sharp overlays later in an editor.
How to convert JPG to PNG
- Click Choose File and select a
.jpgor.jpegimage. - Click Convert.
- Check the preview, then click Download to save
converted.png.
The width and height stay the same. A 1600 × 1200 JPG gives a 1600 × 1200 PNG.
JPG vs PNG
| JPG (JPEG) | PNG | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy: discards detail to save space | Lossless: every pixel is kept exactly |
| Transparency | Not supported | Supported (alpha channel) |
| Best for | Photographs | Screenshots, logos, diagrams, text, images you'll keep editing |
| File size for photos | Small | Large |
| Repeated saving | Each save can add more artifacts | No loss from re-saving |
| Specification | ITU-T T.81 | W3C PNG |
MDN's image file type guide has more detail on when each format fits.
What converting can't do
It can't restore lost detail. Blockiness, smudged edges and color banding from JPEG compression are part of the pixels now. The PNG preserves them faithfully. If you have access to the original camera file or a higher-quality export, convert that instead.
It doesn't make a transparent background. A product photo on white is still on white after conversion. PNG can store transparency, but something has to decide which pixels should be see-through, and that's an editing job.
It won't make files smaller. For photographs the PNG is usually much larger. If the goal is a smaller file, use the image compressor or the WebP converter instead.
What happens to metadata
The PNG is created from pixels drawn onto an HTML canvas and exported with toDataURL('image/png'). Nothing else from the JPG file is copied, so EXIF data (camera model, date, GPS location), XMP and the embedded color profile are all left behind. That's handy if you're sharing the image, but if you need the capture date or camera details later, keep the original JPG. You can check what the original contains with the EXIF viewer.
Worked example
You have a 1200 × 800 JPG screenshot of a chart that a slide template only accepts as PNG.
- Choose the JPG and click Convert.
- Download
converted.png. It's 1200 × 800 and fully opaque. - If you need it at a different size for the slide, run it through the image resizer, which also outputs PNG.
If you're starting from a screenshot tool, save as PNG in the first place next time. Text and chart lines stay sharper that way than going through JPEG and back.
Other inputs
The file picker accepts any image type, so the same conversion works for WebP, GIF and BMP files your browser can open. For an animated GIF or WebP, the canvas draws a single frame (the HTML standard specifies the default image or the first frame), so the PNG is a still image.
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