Convert GIF to WebP
Drop a GIF file below and get a WebP 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 WebP?
For the same picture, WebP usually lands well under the size of the GIF original. That matters when you are trimming page weight or squeezing under an upload limit.
WebP is the natural successor to GIF and was designed with that job partly in mind — it handles the same graphics content far more efficiently, keeps transparency properly, and supports animation. There is one important caveat about that last point in this particular tool, and it is the first thing to know.
Before you convert
WebP can animate — this conversion does not
The format is fully capable of holding your animation, and an animated WebP is typically a fraction of the equivalent GIF's size. But this is a still image converter: it decodes the first frame and encodes that. If your GIF moves and you want it to keep moving, this is the wrong tool, and it is worth saying so plainly rather than letting you find out from the result. Look for a dedicated GIF-to-animated-WebP encoder instead.
Transparency improves, but the jagged edge stays
WebP has a real 8-bit alpha channel with 256 levels, a genuine upgrade over GIF's single on/off bit. The catch is that the conversion can only carry across the two states the GIF actually has. Your edges will remain as stair-stepped as they were — the capacity for a smooth edge is now there, but filling it in requires re-cutting the image in an editor.
Choose lossless for this kind of content
GIF content is graphics, and lossless WebP is very good at graphics — often dramatically smaller than the GIF while remaining pixel-identical. Lossy WebP would save more bytes but softens exactly the crisp edges that make a logo readable at small sizes. This is one of the cases where the lossless option is clearly the right default.
What carries over
- All 256 colours, exactly
- Transparent areas
- Usually a much smaller file
What does not
- Animation beyond the first frame
- Support in very old software
GIF vs WebP at a glance
| Property | GIF | WebP |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Typical file size | 200-400% of an equivalent JPEG | 65-75% of an equivalent JPEG |
| Compatibility | Opens everywhere, including decades-old software | Supported by all current browsers and most apps |
| Usually comes from | Websites optimising page weight | Websites optimising page weight |
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 WebP lose quality?
WebP 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. WebP 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 WebP safe to use on a website?
Yes. Every current browser supports it, which covers roughly 97% of visitors. The remaining gap is old software rather than old browsers — a few desktop image viewers and older CMS upload forms still refuse it.