PNG files are great for quality and awkward for almost everything else. They’re big, some sites refuse them, and they pile up on your drive. Converting to JPG often fixes all three problems, but there are a few situations where it makes things worse.
Why PNG files are so large
PNG is a lossless format. It stores every pixel exactly as it is, which is perfect for sharp graphics and screenshots, but expensive for photographs. A photo has millions of slightly different colors, and PNG has to remember all of them. JPG takes a different approach: it throws away tiny details your eye won’t notice, and the file shrinks, often to a fraction of the PNG’s size.
When converting to JPG makes sense
- Photographs. People, places, products shot with a camera. JPG is built for these.
- Upload limits. A form wants a JPG under 200 KB and you have a 2 MB PNG.
- Email and messaging. Smaller files send faster and don’t clog inboxes.
- Websites. Photo-heavy pages load faster with JPG, or even better, WebP. See JPG vs PNG vs WebP.
When you should keep it as PNG
- Transparency. JPG can’t store a transparent background. Transparent areas become solid white or black, and a logo suddenly sits inside an ugly box.
- Text and sharp lines. Screenshots, charts and diagrams develop fuzzy halos around edges when compressed as JPG.
- Files you’ll edit again. Every time you re-save a JPG, it loses a bit more. Keep a PNG master if you’ll keep working on it.
How to convert, step by step
- Open your PNG in an image converter or resizer.
- Choose JPG as the output format.
- Pick a quality level. Around 80 is a safe starting point. Our note on choosing a JPG quality setting explains what the numbers mean.
- If the PNG had a transparent background, choose a background color first. White is the usual pick.
- Download the result and compare it to the original at full size.
The transparent background problem
If your PNG has transparency and you convert without choosing a background, the converter will fill it in for you, sometimes with black. That’s the cause of the classic “why is my logo sitting on a black box” complaint. Always set the background color deliberately, matching wherever the image will be placed.
Will the quality drop?
Technically yes, since JPG is lossy. In practice, a photo converted at a sensible quality setting looks identical to most people at normal size. Problems show up mainly on flat graphics and text. If you’re worried, view both versions side by side at 100% zoom. Our explainer on lossy vs lossless compression goes deeper on why.
Quick decision guide
Is it a photo? Convert to JPG. Does it have transparency, text or sharp edges? Keep the PNG. Is it a photo you want even smaller than JPG allows? Try converting to WebP.
You can switch formats and resize in one go with our free image resizer.