What is PNG?
PNG is a lossless raster format built for graphics rather than photographs. Pixels come back out exactly as they went in, and an alpha channel stores per-pixel transparency.
Created in 1996 as a patent-free replacement for GIF.
- Perfectly lossless — logos, screenshots and UI mockups stay crisp
- Full 8-bit alpha transparency for overlays and layered artwork
- Universally supported and safe to re-save as many times as you like
What is JPEG?
JPEG is the lossy photographic image format that most cameras, phones and websites default to. It throws away detail the eye is unlikely to notice in order to reach very small file sizes.
Standardised by the Joint Photographic Experts Group in 1992.
- Extremely small files for photographs and other continuous-tone images
- Adjustable quality, so you can trade sharpness for bandwidth
- Opens on literally every device, browser and photo app in use today
Why convert PNG to JPEG?
- JPEG is the better fit for photographs and rich colour images where file size matters more than pixel-perfect edges, while PNG is built for screenshots, logos, icons and anything that needs transparency or razor-sharp edges.
- It sidesteps the main drawback of PNG: photographs are typically two to five times larger than the JPEG equivalent.
- You gain extremely small files for photographs and other continuous-tone images.
- Anything transparent in the PNG file will be flattened onto a solid background, so check logos and cut-outs afterwards.
- Compatibility improves where it counts: Every web browser and Windows Photos, macOS Preview, iOS and Android galleries.
Quality and file size after conversion
Expect a much smaller file. JPEG re-encodes the content and drops information it judges imperceptible, which is exactly why the result is a fraction of the PNG original. Keep the PNG master if you may need to edit or re-export later.
Compatibility
PNG opens in Every web browser and operating system, All design tools, office suites and presentation software, Print workflows that accept RGB artwork. JPEG opens in Every web browser, Windows Photos, macOS Preview, iOS and Android galleries, Photoshop, Affinity, GIMP, Canva, Office, Google Docs.
If the file has to work for someone else, choose the format their software already understands rather than the one with the best specification.
Limitations to know about
- JPEG is lossy — the conversion is one-way and re-editing the output repeatedly will degrade it.
- No transparency channel — anything transparent becomes solid white or black
- Compression artefacts appear around hard edges, text and flat colour
When to keep PNG instead
PNG is still the right choice for screenshots, logos, icons and anything that needs transparency or razor-sharp edges. Keep the original alongside the converted copy whenever you might need to re-export at a different size or quality — conversion is quick, but recovering discarded detail is impossible.
How to convert PNG to JPEG
- 1
Drag your PNG file onto the drop zone above, or click to browse. Up to 20 files can be queued at once.
- 2
JPEG is already selected as the output format — change it in the dropdown if you need something else.
- 3
Press Convert and watch the per-file progress bar.
- 4
Download the JPEG result, or grab everything as a single ZIP when you converted a batch.
Frequently asked questions
Is this PNG to JPEG converter free?
- Yes. Every conversion on Convert Always is free, with no account, no watermark and no daily download cap. The site is funded by advertising rather than subscriptions.
Are my PNG files uploaded to a server?
- No. PNG to JPEG runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly, so the file never leaves your device. You can even disconnect from the internet after the page loads.
Will converting to JPEG reduce the quality?
- Expect a much smaller file. JPEG re-encodes the content and drops information it judges imperceptible, which is exactly why the result is a fraction of the PNG original. Keep the PNG master if you may need to edit or re-export later.
Can I convert several PNG files at once?
- Yes. Add up to 20 files to the queue, convert them in one pass and download the results individually or bundled into a single ZIP archive.
What is the maximum PNG file size?
- Files up to 100 MB each are accepted. Browser-side conversions are limited mainly by your device's memory, so very large video files convert faster on a desktop than on a phone.
Does it work on mobile?
- Yes. The converter is built mobile-first and works in Safari and Chrome on phones and tablets. Heavy media conversions are slower on mobile hardware but still run locally.
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