When a WebP file will not open
You save an image from a web page and it lands as .webp. Word will not take it, and in some programs it does not even appear in the file list.
It is a common annoyance: right-click, Save image as, and all you get is a .webp that Windows or an older program will not open. One Windows 10 user on Reddit summed up the frustration of being unable to save web images as anything else. The file is not broken. The format is simply new enough that some software has not caught up.
Why WebP exists
It stores the same picture in a smaller file, which makes pages load faster. That is why most sites now serve images as WebP, and why "an image saved from the web" increasingly means a WebP.
| Where | Opens WebP |
|---|---|
| Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox | Yes |
| Windows Photos (recent versions) | Yes |
| macOS Preview | Yes |
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint (recent versions) | Usually |
| Older word processors | Often not |
| Legacy internal systems and upload forms | Rarely |
The last two rows are where the trouble happens: the file opens fine on your machine but the system you need to upload it to refuses it.
Converting solves it
- PNG: for transparency, and for images containing text or diagrams.
- JPG: for photographs. Considerably smaller.
Renaming the file to .png does not work. The contents are still WebP, and the program will report an error when it tries to read them.
Forms that accept only JPG
The most concrete reason to convert in India is an application portal. Exam and visa forms name the format in their notices, and WebP is never on the list:
- UPSC: "Upload a photo named photo in jpg format with a file size between 20KB and 200KB."
- NEET (UG) 2026: "Photograph should be in JPG/JPEG format (clearly legible) between 10 kb to 200 kb."
- Indian e-Visa: the photo format is JPEG, between 10 KB and 1 MB, with equal height and width.
Sources: UPSC's photo and signature upload instructions, the NEET (UG) 2026 Information Bulletin and the Indian e-Visa site. A picture saved from a website or an image search result can easily be a WebP, and the portal will refuse it even when the KB size is right. Convert it to JPG first, then check the KB range: if it is too heavy, compress it to the size the form asks for.
Saving in another format instead
To skip conversion, use Copy rather than Save image in the browser, paste into an image editor, and save from there in the format you want.
Be aware that this sometimes copies the image at its displayed size rather than its original one.
Going the other way
For images you are publishing on a website, WebP is the better choice: same quality, smaller file, faster pages. The trade-off is that visitors who download your images end up in the situation this article describes.
Common questions
- Why do images save as WebP?
- Most websites now serve images as WebP because the files are smaller and pages load faster. When you save an image, you get the file the site actually sent, so it lands as .webp.
- Can I upload WebP to a JPG-only form?
- No. A form that says JPG or JPEG checks the format, and renaming .webp to .jpg does not change what is inside. Convert it to JPG, then check the file against the KB range in the notice.
- Does converting reduce quality?
- WebP to PNG does not degrade further. WebP to JPG loses a little.
- Is transparency kept?
- With PNG, yes. JPG has no transparency and fills it with white.
- What about animated WebP?
- WebP can hold animation. Converting to a still image keeps only the first frame.
- Can I convert several at once?
- Yes.
Last updated October 14, 2026 · Accurate as of October 2026. Form formats are quoted from UPSC, NTA (NEET UG 2026) and the Indian e-Visa site, checked 14 October 2026.
