Convert JPG to PNG

Why convert a JPG to PNG

JPG is built for photos. It throws away detail your eye is unlikely to notice so files stay small, and it does that again every time the image is edited and saved. PNG takes the opposite approach: it stores every pixel exactly, using lossless compression. Converting a JPG to PNG freezes the image at its current quality so further edits, crops and re-saves do not add new compression artifacts.

It is worth being clear about what the conversion cannot do. Detail that JPG already discarded is gone, so a blurry or blocky JPG will look the same as a PNG, only larger. The value of PNG is in what happens next: editing, layering in design tools, adding transparency later, or handing the file to software that only accepts PNG.

JPG vs PNG at a glance

How to convert JPG to PNG

1. 1

   Step 1: Add your JPG

   Drop a .jpg or .jpeg file onto the converter above, or click to pick one. The file is read locally by your browser.

2. 2

   Step 2: Check the target format

   PNG is already selected on this page. You can pick another output such as WebP or PDF if you change your mind.

3. 3

   Step 3: Convert

   Press Convert. The image is decoded, rotated upright using its EXIF orientation tag, and written out as a PNG at the same pixel dimensions.

4. 4

   Step 4: Download the PNG

   Save the file. It keeps the original name with a .png extension, ready for your editor, slide deck or website.

What you get with this converter

When JPG to PNG is the right call

• Editing in layers. Design tools such as Figma, Canva or GIMP work happily with PNG, and repeated exports will not keep degrading the image.

• Preparing a logo for transparency. Convert first, then remove the background in an editor or with our background remover. JPG cannot hold transparent pixels at all.

• Screenshots and diagrams saved as JPG. Text and sharp lines suffer most from JPG artifacts. Converting stops the damage from getting worse on later saves.

• Upload forms that require PNG. Some app stores, print services and CMS fields only accept PNG files.

Will a PNG made from a JPG look better?

No, and any tool that promises otherwise is guessing. The ringing around edges and the 8 by 8 pixel blocks you sometimes see in JPG files are baked into the decoded pixels. PNG stores those pixels faithfully, artifacts included.

What PNG gives you is stability. If you plan to crop, annotate, recolor or resave the image several times, doing that work on a PNG means each save is exact. Keep the PNG as your working master and export a JPG or WebP only at the very end if you need a small file for the web.

Why the PNG file is so much bigger

Lossless compression cannot discard information, so photographs, with their noise and millions of subtle color changes, compress poorly as PNG. A photo that is 400 KB as a JPG commonly becomes 2 to 5 MB as a PNG at the same size.

For flat graphics the gap is much smaller, and sometimes the PNG is close to the JPG. If size matters more than exactness, compare the result with our JPG to WebP converter, or run the PNG through the bulk image compressor, which reduces PNG colors to shrink the file.

• Photos: expect the PNG to be several times larger than the JPG.
• Screenshots and UI captures: usually a modest increase.
• Logos and icons: often similar in size, with cleaner edges.

Tips for clean PNG files

• Start from the highest quality JPG you have. Converting a re-shared copy from a chat app bakes in its extra compression.
• Convert once and do all your editing on the PNG, instead of going back and forth between formats.
• If you need transparency, remove the background after converting; the PNG will hold the alpha channel.
• Camera details and GPS location in the JPG are not copied into the PNG, which is useful before sharing.

JPG to PNG questions