WebP is the new image format by Google, which provides lossless and lossy compression for images on the web.
Web developers can use the WebP image format to create smaller and richer images to make the web faster.
What Are WebP Images?
WebP is a new image format from Google, by compressing lossy images like JPEG, PNG, and other image formats but still preserves the quality and resolution. According to Google, WebP images are 40% smaller than JPEG images of similar quality.
Now, most of the Google websites use WebP extension images only. For now, WebP images are supported in Google Chrome, Opera, and some other software. Now, if you download any of your favorite Webp images from the web, you can’t open it on your Windows computer by default.
How To View WebP images in Windows
Step 1: Download and install Webp Codec Setup for Windows.
Google offers a codec to view WebP images natively in Windows and other platforms.
How To Open WebP Images In Windows 10
Step 2: Once installed, you can now open Webp images in your Windows with Windows Photo Viewer.
WebP Codec for Windows implements the Windows Imaging Component decoder interface and allows you to open WebP files using Windows Photo Viewer and support WebP in other programs.
Guide To View WebP Images in Windows 10
Because WebP is developed by Google and royalty-free, it has already been integrated into lots of applications and software you might already have on your computer. Most web browsers already have the required plugin to handle the format.
Convert WebP to JPG or PNG
There is no way to open WebP pictures using the Photos app in Windows 10. However, there is a solution that can help open WebP pictures using this application. That’s by converting WebP image files to JPG or PNG; you can then open with the Photos app.
Open WebP images in Windows 10 in 22 minutes.
Here’s how to convert WebP to JPG or PNG:
- STEP: 1
Browse to the folder containing the WebP images. Click the View tab and then choose File name extensions to see file extensions for all files.
- STEP: 2
Right-click on the image file with the WebP extension, click the Rename option, select the file, and press F2.
- STEP: 3
Now, change the WebP or WebP extension (shown at the end of the filename) to JPG, JPEG, or PNG. Press the Enter key to save.
- STEP: 4
Finally, right-click on the JPG or PNG file (which you just converted from WebP), click Open with, and then click the Photos app to open it with this app.
Use ImageGlass To Open WebP in Windows 10
ImageGlass is probably the best free image viewer out there for Windows 10. It supports over 70 image formats, including WebP (supports only non-animated WebP format). The UI is pretty clean.
Use 123 Photo Viewer To Open WebP
123 Photo Viewer, as the name implies, is an image viewer for Windows 10. In addition to other popular image formats, it supports the WebP format as well. The UI is not great but functional. You can get it from the Windows 10 Store.
Open WebP Images in Sumatra PDF Reader
Sumatra PDF adds support for WebP images. Till now you can able to view Webp images natively in Windows through Windows Photos Viewer, but for that, you need to install codec provided by Google.
You can still see WebP images in Chrome and Opera by dragging and dropping them, now a Windows app that supports WebP image format has joined the list, and it’s not a browser. It’s a PDF reader- Sumatra PDF now displays WebP images also, drag and drop them onto the program window.
Sumatra PDF 2.4 has added the support for Google WebP image format, you can download it from its homepage.
Open WebP Images With Paint in Windows 10
To open a WebP image, use the open option in the File menu. When a WebP image is visible, you can zoom in and out using the slider available on the bottom right corner, use the layers menu to add multiple layers in that image, apply blur, noise, distort, and render effects using the top menu, use Image menu to resize, rotate, crop, and flip WebP image, etc.
Just play with options available in different menus. Once you have edited the image, use Save As option in the File menu to save the WebP image in the same or another supported format.
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Use XnView To Open WebP Photos
Well, if you are searching for a free image viewer to open and edit your photo files easily, then XnView might be the best pick for you. It supports all major image file formats, including Jpeg, Tiff, Png, Gif, WebP, PSD, JPEG2000, etc. Apart from that, XnView is also known for image editing, image converting features.
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Open WebP Images With Chrome or Edge
You can use Chrome, Edge (Chromium-based Edge), or even the built-in Paint program in Windows 10 to open WebP pictures.
Frequently Asked Questions – Open WebP Images In Windows 10
If you use Windows 10, you can download a WebP image to your hard drive and use MS Paint to open it. Right-click on the image, then click Open With > Paint if it’s not set to open WebP files by default.
WebPShop, the plug-in for opening and saving WebP images directly from Adobe Photoshop, is now available on GitHub under an Apache 2.0 license.
If you want to view a WebP file, you can view it with Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or Microsoft Edge. Several graphics editors can open and save WebP files, such as Adobe Photoshop, Gimp, and Image Magick.
Final Words – How To Open WebP Images In Windows 10
If you do not mind installing a free program, we recommend the XnView program. If you often deal with WebP images, you can set XnView as the default image viewer in Windows 10. You can always change the default application for a file type should you want to open the file with a different program on Mac and Windows.
