Why PNGs get so big
PNG is lossless: it stores every pixel exactly. That is perfect for graphics with flat colors, but it is very inefficient for photographs, where every pixel is slightly different from its neighbor. A photo saved as PNG, or a camera export someone accidentally saved in the wrong format, can weigh 10 to 20 MB. The same photo as a high-quality JPG is often 1 to 3 MB and looks identical on screen.
That is the main reason to convert PNG to JPG: to make files small enough to email, upload to a form with a size limit, or load quickly on a web page.
Is your PNG a good candidate?
Not every PNG should become a JPG. Use this quick check:
| Your PNG contains | Convert to JPG? |
|---|---|
| A photograph or camera image | Yes, big savings, no visible loss |
| A screenshot of a photo, video or game | Yes, usually fine |
| A screenshot of text, code or a spreadsheet | Maybe; use quality 95+ or keep PNG |
| A logo, icon or chart with flat colors | Usually no; JPG adds artifacts and may not even be smaller |
| A transparent cutout you will place on other images | No; transparency will be lost |
Choosing quality
The quality slider runs from 60 to 100. Start around 85 and look at the result before converting a large batch:
- 90–100: archival copies, prints, or images you will edit again.
- 80–89: the best balance for most photos online and in email.
- 60–79: maximum savings for forms with strict limits; check skies and skin tones for banding.
Watch the reported output size. If a PNG of a simple graphic comes out larger as a JPG, that is your sign to keep it as PNG.
Dealing with transparency
PNG files often contain transparent regions, for example a product photo with the background removed. JPG has no alpha channel, so the converter fills those regions with a solid background color, white by default.
Pick the color deliberately:
- White suits most e-commerce listings, documents and print.
- Black or a dark grey works for images placed on dark-mode pages.
- Your brand or slide color avoids a visible box when the JPG is placed on a colored layout.
Semi-transparent pixels, such as soft shadows and anti-aliased edges, are blended onto the chosen color, so matching the final background gives the cleanest edges.
Fixing common issues
The image has a white box around it. That is the transparent area being filled. Choose a background color that matches where the image will be used.
Text in a screenshot looks fuzzy. Raise quality to 95 or above, or keep that image as PNG.
The JPG is not much smaller. The PNG was probably a flat graphic that PNG already compresses well. Keep it as PNG.
Every file is converted inside your browser, nothing is uploaded, and the JPG keeps the original filename with a suffix.