Converts GIF to WebP. Of the three targets for a still GIF this is usually the best: it keeps transparency like PNG, and it is far smaller than either PNG or the original GIF.
The best of both
For a still image being served on the web, this is the conversion to choose.
The animation is not carried over
Metadata is removed, which is usually the point
For a photo you are about to publish this is a feature. A JPEG straight off a phone can carry the exact coordinates of where it was taken, and stripping that before it goes anywhere public is good practice — the conversion does it as a side effect.
The one piece of metadata that is honoured before being dropped is the orientation flag. Phones store photos in the sensor's native orientation with a tag saying which way is up; ignoring it produces sideways pictures. It is applied to the pixels, so the result is upright without needing the tag.
If you need the EXIF preserved, this is the wrong tool — a converter that re-encodes cannot keep it.
Other names for this
Also searched as “convert gif to webp”.
Questions
- Can I get an animated WebP?
- Not from this tool. The browser’s canvas encodes single frames only; animated WebP needs a dedicated encoder.
- Is transparency preserved?
- Yes, and improved — GIF’s one-bit transparency becomes a full alpha channel, so edges stop being jagged.
- Can I convert a whole folder of images?
- Yes. Drop as many files as you like, or a whole folder. Each keeps its original name with the new extension —
IMG_4032.heicbecomesIMG_4032.jpg, neverconverted_1.jpg— and you can download them individually or as a ZIP. - Are my photos uploaded?
- No. The decoding and re-encoding happen in this tab using the browser’s own image support. Photos are personal in a way most files are not, and none of them is transmitted. Turn your Wi-Fi off and the converter keeps working.