Image format

APNG converter

An .apng file is an animated extension of PNG: full 24-bit color with 8-bit alpha per frame, in a stream that plain PNG decoders read as a normal still image. It delivers the smooth, semi-transparent animation that GIF's 256-color palette never could, and it is the format behind many messaging-app sticker packs.

Private for supported formats — processed in your browser

Convert supported files

Runs on your device

Drop APNG files here

Batch files can each use a different output. Nothing uploads for local conversions.

Working inputs include camera RAW, browser-local audio/video, PDF, CBZ/CBR comics, office documents, ebooks, markup, 3D models, structured text, images, and archives.

Where APNG comes from

Mozilla developers Stuart Parmenter and Vladimir Vukicevic created APNG in 2004 for Firefox's throbber animations, but the official PNG group rejected it in 2007 in favor of the never-adopted MNG. Browsers embraced it anyway — Safari in 2014, Chrome in 2017 — and the W3C finally folded APNG into the PNG specification's third edition.

How APNG works

Adds three chunk types to PNG: acTL (animation control), fcTL (frame control), and fdAT (frame data)
The first frame doubles as a fallback still, so non-animated decoders show something sensible
Each frame keeps PNG's full truecolor-plus-alpha fidelity with DEFLATE compression
Frames support region updates, disposal, and blend modes to avoid re-encoding static areas

When to use APNG

Animated stickers (Apple's iMessage and LINE both build on APNG)
UI micro-animations that need soft alpha edges over arbitrary backgrounds
Upgrading GIF loops to full color without switching to a video element

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

16.7 million colors and real alpha per frame, versus GIF's 256 and binary transparency
Backward compatible: old decoders still render the first frame
Supported by every current browser

Limitations

Files grow quickly for long or high-motion animations, where animated WebP/AVIF or video compress far better
Many editors and viewers outside browsers treat it as a static PNG

Compatibility

Chrome 59+, Firefox 3+, Safari 8+, and Edge 79+ all animate .apng natively, so browser coverage is complete. Desktop support is patchier — most image editors open only the first frame — and social platforms frequently flatten or re-encode uploads, so test the target platform before committing to it.