Chrome saves images in whatever format a website delivers them in. As more and more websites have switched to WebP — a smaller, more efficient format favored by Google — Chrome users are increasingly downloading images they cannot open in their usual software.
There is no Chrome setting to change this behavior. But there are several reliable methods to save WebP images as JPG directly from within Chrome. This article covers all of them, from quickest to most technical.
Add "Save as JPG" to Chrome's Right-Click Menu
One free extension is all it takes. Install once, right-click any image, and choose the format you want.
Add to Chrome — FreeMethod 1: Chrome Extension (Recommended)
The WebP to JPG/PNG Converter is the cleanest solution. It integrates directly into Chrome's context menu and requires no technical knowledge.
Setup (one-time, takes 30 seconds)
- 1Visit the extension page on the Chrome Web Store and click "Add to Chrome"
- 2Click "Add extension" in the confirmation dialog
- 3The extension is now installed — no configuration needed
Using it (every time)
- 1Find an image on any webpage that you want to save
- 2Right-click the image
- 3Select "Save image as JPG" (or "Save image as PNG" if you need transparency preserved)
- 4Choose where to save in the standard Save dialog — the file extension is already set to
.jpg
The conversion happens entirely in your browser — no data is sent to any server. This makes the method safe for private images and completely instant (no network delay).
Method 2: Open Image in New Tab, Then Save
This method works on some websites where the server has both WebP and JPG versions of an image. It involves a small URL trick.
Steps
- Right-click the image
- Select Open image in new tab
- Look at the URL in the address bar — it likely ends in
.webp - In the URL, change
.webpto.jpgand press Enter - If the server has a JPG version, the page reloads with the JPG
- Right-click and select Save image as — it now saves as JPG
Method 3: Copy Image and Paste into an Application
When you copy an image from Chrome (right-click → Copy image), the clipboard receives decoded bitmap data, not the raw WebP file. When you paste this into an application like Microsoft Word, Google Slides, or Photoshop, the app re-encodes it in its default format — often JPG or PNG.
Steps to save the pasted image as JPG
- Right-click the image in Chrome → Copy image
- Open Paint (Windows) or Preview (Mac)
- Paste with Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V on Mac)
- Save As → choose JPEG format
This method adds extra steps and gives you less control over the output quality. It also fails for very large images that exceed clipboard size limits. Use it as a fallback when you cannot install extensions.
Method 4: Chrome DevTools (Technical)
If you need to find the underlying URL of an image to download a non-WebP version, Chrome DevTools can help you investigate what the server is actually sending.
Steps
- Press F12 to open DevTools
- Go to the Network tab
- Filter by Img
- Reload the page
- Find the image in the list — you can see its type, size, and URL
- Click the image URL and open it in a new tab
- Inspect the request headers — look for the
Acceptheader Chrome sends, which includesimage/webp
On some servers, removing webp from the Accept header (by fetching the URL from a non-Chrome browser or using curl) causes the server to return a JPG instead. But this is a technical workaround, not a general solution.
Why Chrome Changed How It Saves Images
Chrome did not change a behavior — it never had a preference. Chrome always saves images in their native format. What changed is that websites started serving WebP instead of JPG.
The shift happened because Google made page speed a search ranking factor, and the Google PageSpeed Insights tool specifically recommends serving images in WebP format. Large websites adopted WebP en masse to improve their Core Web Vitals scores and reduce server bandwidth costs. Since most of the web now serves WebP, most image downloads in Chrome are WebP files.
"Serve images in next-gen formats. Image formats like WebP and AVIF often provide better compression than PNG or JPEG, which means faster downloads and less data consumption." — Google PageSpeed Insights
The good news: a free extension solves the problem permanently, and you never have to think about it again.
Stop Downloading .webp Files You Can't Use
WebP to JPG/PNG Converter adds "Save as JPG" to every image you right-click in Chrome. Free, private, instant.
Add to Chrome — FreeComparison of Methods
| Method | Ease | Reliability | Quality Control | Works Offline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome extension | Very easy | Always works | High | Yes |
| URL extension trick | Easy | Works on some sites | Medium | No |
| Copy → paste → save | Medium | Usually works | Low | Yes |
| DevTools | Technical | Situational | Variable | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Chrome save images as WebP instead of JPG?
Chrome saves images in the format the website serves them. Since most modern websites now serve WebP format (25–35% smaller than JPG), Chrome downloads them as .webp files. This is not a Chrome setting — it reflects the actual format served by the website. To get JPG, you need a conversion tool.
Is there a Chrome setting to save images as JPG instead of WebP?
No. There is no such Chrome setting. Chrome always saves images in their native format. The only reliable way to save WebP images as JPG directly from Chrome is to use a browser extension like WebP to JPG/PNG Converter.
Can I rename a .webp file to .jpg to convert it?
No. Renaming the file extension does not convert the image data. The file still contains WebP-encoded data and will fail to open in applications that don't support WebP. You must actually re-encode the file using a converter.
What is the URL trick to get JPG instead of WebP?
On some websites, replacing .webp with .jpg in the image URL causes the server to return a JPG version. This works only on sites that have JPG fallbacks accessible via URL. It is unreliable — a conversion extension is the dependable solution.
Does copying and pasting a WebP image give me a JPG?
Copying an image from Chrome sends decoded bitmap data to the clipboard. When you paste it into Word or Photoshop, the app re-encodes it. You can then save it as JPG from that application. It works but adds steps and gives you less quality control than a dedicated converter.
More Free Chrome Tools by Peak Productivity
