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Image format

PNG converter

A .png file is a losslessly compressed raster image with full 8-bit alpha transparency, making it the standard choice for graphics that must stay pixel-perfect. Screenshots, logos, UI assets, and diagrams are the classic .png territory, since sharp edges and flat color survive without compression artifacts.

Private for supported formats — processed in your browser

Convert supported files

Runs on your device

Drop PNG 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 PNG comes from

PNG was designed in 1995-1996 by an internet working group led by Thomas Boutell after Unisys began enforcing its LZW patent against the GIF format. The W3C issued PNG as a Recommendation in October 1996, and it was later standardized as ISO/IEC 15948, eventually overtaking GIF as the web's lossless format.

How PNG works

  • Uses DEFLATE compression preceded by per-scanline prediction filters (None, Sub, Up, Average, Paeth)
  • Supports grayscale, indexed palette, and truecolor pixels at 1 to 16 bits per channel
  • Alpha can be a full per-pixel channel or a single transparent palette entry
  • Ancillary chunks store gamma, chromaticity, ICC profiles, and text; the eXIf chunk for EXIF data was only added to the spec in 2017
  • Single image per file; animation belongs to the APNG extension

When to use PNG

  • Screenshots and screen recordings exported as stills
  • Logos, icons, and UI elements that need clean transparency over any background
  • Charts, diagrams, and text-heavy graphics where JPEG would smear edges
  • Lossless intermediate files during multi-step editing

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Perfectly lossless, so files can be opened and re-saved indefinitely
  • True 8-bit (or 16-bit) alpha channel
  • Universal support across browsers and operating systems since the early 2000s
  • Handles flat color and line art far more efficiently than JPEG

Limitations

  • Photographic content produces files several times larger than JPEG or WebP
  • No standard animation in the base format
  • 16-bit and ICC handling is inconsistent in casual viewers

Compatibility

Every modern browser has rendered PNG with full alpha since Internet Explorer 7 fixed its transparency bug in 2006, and native OS support is universal on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. It is also the required format in many contexts, such as iOS app icons and favicon fallbacks.

Text metadata lives in tEXt/iTXt chunks and XMP can be embedded there; standardized EXIF arrived late via the 2017 eXIf chunk, so many tools still drop EXIF when writing PNG.

Convert PNG to another format

Convert other formats to PNG