Convert GIF to JPEG XL
Drop a GIF file below and get a JPEG XL back. The conversion happens on your own machine, so nothing is uploaded and there is no size or quantity limit beyond what your browser can hold in memory.
Drop images here
Ctrl/⌘ VPaste a screenshot or copied image
Accepts GIF
Lower means a smaller file. 75 is a good default for photos.
100% in your browser Files are never uploaded.
Why convert GIF to JPEG XL?
For the same picture, JPEG XL usually lands well under the size of the GIF original. That matters when you are trimming page weight or squeezing under an upload limit.
A format from 1987 converted to one finalised in 2022 — the widest generational gap available here. JPEG XL can do everything GIF does and vastly more, but as with every conversion, capability in the destination cannot fill in what the source never recorded. And there is a support problem to weigh.
Before you convert
Lossless JXL is excellent on this kind of content
GIFs hold graphics — flat colour, sharp edges, limited palettes — and JXL's lossless mode handles that material very efficiently, typically well below the GIF's own size while remaining pixel-identical. If you are consolidating an archive of old GIFs, this is a genuinely good technical answer, and unlike lossy options it involves no judgement call.
The 256-colour ceiling and hard-edged transparency come along
JXL supports high bit depth, wide colour and a full alpha channel. The GIF offers 256 palette entries and one bit of transparency, and that is what arrives. Dithering used to fake gradients is preserved as part of the picture, and edges stay stair-stepped. A better format does not retroactively improve a limited source.
Animation stops here, and support is thin
JXL supports animation, but this is a still image converter and takes the first frame only. Beyond that, as of August 2026 only Safari opens JXL without the user enabling a flag, so if these images need to be seen by anyone else in the near term, WebP is the better destination — it also handles this content well and works everywhere.
What carries over
- All 256 colours, exactly
- Transparent areas, still as on/off
- Usually a much smaller file
What does not
- Animation beyond the first frame
- Practical viewability, for now
GIF vs JPEG XL at a glance
| Property | GIF | JPEG XL |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Typical file size | 200-400% of an equivalent JPEG | 45-60% of an equivalent JPEG |
| Compatibility | Opens everywhere, including decades-old software | Safari and recent Chrome; still uncommon elsewhere |
| Usually comes from | Websites optimising page weight | Long-term archives and photography workflows |
Frequently asked questions
Are my GIF files uploaded anywhere?
No. The decoder and encoder are WebAssembly modules that run inside this page. The network tab may show a codec downloading the first time you use a format, but no request contains your file. On supported browsers, a codec that has already been used is cached so the same conversion can work offline.
Is there a file size or quantity limit?
There is no limit imposed by us. The practical ceiling is your device’s memory, since the image has to be held uncompressed while converting. On a typical laptop, images up to around 100 megapixels convert without trouble.
Will converting to JPEG XL lose quality?
JPEG XL is a lossy format, so some data is discarded. At the default quality setting the difference is not visible at normal viewing sizes. If you need an exact copy of the pixels, choose PNG instead.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The same WebAssembly modules run on mobile browsers. Conversion is slower than on a desktop because phone CPUs are weaker, and very large images are more likely to hit memory limits.
What happens to an animated GIF?
Only the first frame is converted. JPEG XL is a still image format, so there is nowhere for the remaining frames to go. If you need to keep the animation, you are looking for a video conversion rather than a still image one.
Is JPEG XL ready to use?
Partly. Safari has supported it for some time and Chrome shipped stable support in early 2026, but overall coverage still sits around 15%. It is a sound choice for archiving, where compression quality matters more than universal support, and a poor one for images going onto a public website today.