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Image formats5 min read

AVIF Explained: What It Is and How to Convert It to JPG

Saved an image and got an .avif file that your editor will not open? What AVIF is, why websites send it, and how to turn it into a JPG.

AVIF is a modern image format that packs high quality pictures into very small files. Most people meet it by accident: you right click a product photo on a shopping site, save it, and the file in Downloads ends in .avif. Then Word, an older photo editor or a print shop upload page refuses to touch it.

What is an AVIF file?

AVIF stands for AV1 Image File Format. It stores still images, and short animations, compressed with AV1, a royalty free video codec created by the Alliance for Open Media. That group was founded in 2015 by companies including Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, Netflix, Amazon, Intel and Cisco, and Apple joined later.

The idea behind AVIF is that modern video codecs are very good at squeezing detail into few bytes, so a single frame of AV1 video makes an efficient photo. The AVIF specification reached version 1.0 in 2019, and because AV1 costs nothing to use, browser makers adopted it quickly.

Under the hood, AVIF uses the same container family as HEIF, the format behind iPhone HEIC photos. If you have read our guide what is a HEIC file, you will notice the two are close relatives: a similar wrapper with a different codec inside.

What AVIF can store

  • Lossy and lossless compression, so it suits both photos and graphics.
  • Transparency through an alpha channel, like PNG and WebP.
  • High dynamic range and wide color, with 10 or 12 bit color depth instead of the 8 bits of a standard JPG.
  • Animation, as a lighter alternative to animated GIF.
AVIF to JPG

Open AVIF downloads in Windows, Office and editors. Free, no signup.

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Why websites use AVIF

Smaller images load faster, especially on mobile data. Many websites therefore keep a JPG or PNG original and send an AVIF copy to browsers that can show it. You never notice while browsing, because the browser displays it like any other picture.

The surprise comes when you right click and save the image. The file lands in your Downloads folder as .avif, and then your photo editor, your office app or an upload form says it cannot read it.

At the same visual quality, AVIF files are often smaller than JPG and even WebP, mainly on photos with smooth areas such as skies and skin. The exact savings depend on the picture and the settings, so treat any single percentage you read online with care. For a wider look at the classic formats, see WebP vs PNG vs JPG.

AVIF compared with JPG, PNG and WebP

FormatFirst releasedTransparencyAnimationWhere it opens
JPG1992NoNoEverywhere
PNG1996YesLimitedEverywhere
WebP2010YesYesAll modern browsers, most apps
AVIF2019YesYesModern browsers, fewer apps

The weak spot of AVIF is not quality. It is support outside the browser. Older photo viewers, many office programs, printers, some messaging apps and plenty of upload portals still expect JPG or PNG.

How to open AVIF files

In a web browser

Current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari all display AVIF. Chrome added support in 2020, Firefox in 2021 and Safari in 2022. Edge was the late one and only caught up in early 2024, so an old office PC that has not updated Edge may still show a broken image. Dragging an .avif file onto a browser tab is the quickest way to view it on any computer.

On Windows

Windows 10 and 11 can show AVIF in the Photos app when the free AV1 Video Extension from the Microsoft Store is installed. Many Windows 11 PCs already have it. If Photos still shows an error, look for that extension in the Store, or open the file in your browser.

On Mac, iPhone and iPad

Apple added system support for AVIF in iOS 16 and macOS Ventura, both released in 2022. On those versions and newer, Safari displays AVIF and Preview on the Mac opens it. Support in other apps varies, and older versions need a conversion.

On Android

Android 12 added AVIF decoding to the system, so many gallery apps on newer phones can show it. Support still depends on the app and the phone brand, so a file that opens in Chrome may not open in your gallery.

How to convert AVIF to JPG

When an app or a form will not take the file, convert AVIF to JPG. JPG is the most widely accepted image format, so the converted picture will open almost anywhere.

  1. Open the AVIF to JPG converter on any device.
  2. Drop one or several .avif files onto the page, or tap to choose them.
  3. Move the quality slider if you like. The default is 92%, a good balance of detail and size.
  4. Download each JPG, or grab all of them together as a ZIP.

The conversion runs in your browser. A copy of each image you add is stored in a private folder on our server and deleted automatically after 30 days, as explained in our privacy policy. Each file can be up to 50 MB.

What to know before converting

  • Transparency becomes white. JPG has no transparent pixels, so see through areas are filled with white. To keep transparency, use AVIF to PNG instead.
  • Animated AVIF gives one frame. Only the first frame is turned into a still JPG.
  • HDR may look flatter. JPG stores standard 8 bit color, so the extra brightness range of an HDR image cannot be kept in full.
  • Location data is left out. Metadata such as GPS position is not copied to the new JPG, which is useful when you share it.

Should you keep AVIF or switch to JPG?

Keep AVIF when the image lives on a website you control and file size matters. Your pages stay light, and every current browser shows it.

Convert to JPG when you need to edit, print, email, attach the image to a document or upload it to a form that lists only JPG and PNG. If the JPG is then too big for an upload limit, run it through Compress Image, or read our guide to reducing an image to 20 KB or 50 KB.

If you run a website and want lighter images but worry about AVIF support in older software, WebP is a good middle ground. You can turn existing photos into WebP with JPG to WebP.

Common AVIF problems and fixes

The app says the format is not supported

The app was built before AVIF existed, or its developer never added it. Convert the file to JPG or PNG, or update the app if a newer version exists.

I renamed the file to .jpg and it still fails

Changing the extension does not change the data inside, which is still AVIF. You need a real conversion that decodes the image and saves it again as JPG.

Colors look a little different after converting

This mostly happens with HDR or wide color images, or when you compare the files on two different screens. Open both versions on the same device before you decide. For ordinary photos, a JPG at 92% quality should look the same as the original in normal viewing.

The website keeps giving me AVIF

Sites choose the format based on what your browser supports, so saving the same picture again will usually give the same .avif file. Converting after download is the reliable fix.

FAQ

What is an AVIF file?

An AVIF file is an image saved in the AV1 Image File Format. It uses compression from the AV1 video codec, made by the Alliance for Open Media, to keep good quality in small files. Websites often serve pictures as AVIF so pages load faster, which is why saved images sometimes end in .avif.

How do I convert AVIF to JPG for free?

Open the FileKiwi AVIF to JPG converter, drop your .avif files on the page and download the JPG results one by one or as a ZIP. It works in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, with no signup and no watermark. Transparent areas turn white, since JPG has no transparency.

Is AVIF better than JPG?

AVIF usually gives smaller files at the same visual quality and supports transparency, animation and HDR, which JPG cannot. JPG is still far more compatible with apps, printers and upload forms. AVIF is great for websites, while JPG is the safer choice for sharing, printing and editing.

Can I rename an AVIF file to JPG?

No. Changing the extension does not change the data inside, so most apps will still fail to open the file or show an error. A converter decodes the AVIF image and saves it again as a real JPG, which is what apps and upload forms expect.

Try AVIF to JPG now

Open AVIF downloads in Windows, Office and editors. Works in your browser, free and without a watermark.

Open AVIF to JPG
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Anna Lewiński, FileKiwi editor

Anna edits the FileKiwi guides. She tests every tip on real files from phones, cameras and office apps before it goes live.