Convert WEBP to PNG on Mac (Offline)
PNG is the format to choose when a WebP from the web has a transparent background or needs editing in an app that doesn't open WebP. Macsential converts WebP to PNG on your Mac, a whole folder at a time.
Convert WEBP to PNG in Macsential
- 1
Open Convert Images in Macsential's sidebar, or select the files in Finder and choose Quick Actions ▸ Convert Images….
- 2
Drop the files on the page, or click Choose Files…. You can add as many as you like.
- 3
Set Convert to to PNG. Turn Resize on only if you want smaller dimensions, and leave Keep metadata on to keep the camera, date and location data.
- 4
Click Convert. The .png files are saved next to the originals, which aren't changed.
In our test
We converted a 1.0 MB WebP (the iPhone test photo saved as WebP at quality 80) to PNG with the default settings.
| Sample | the iPhone photo as a quality-80 WebP with its metadata |
|---|---|
| Input | 1.0 MB, 4032 × 3024 px |
| Output | 17.0 MB (+1523 %), 4032 × 3024 px |
| Settings | PNG, keep metadata on |
| Time | 0.79 s |
| Metadata | Camera make and model kept, Date taken kept, GPS location kept, Color profile kept, Orientation kept |
| Mac | Apple M1 Pro MacBook Pro, macOS 27.0.1 |
One sample file, measured with Macsential's converter on our Mac. Your files and Mac will give different numbers. How we measure
When WebP to PNG makes sense
Choose PNG over JPG when the image has transparency (logos, icons, cut-out product shots), or when you'll edit it again and don't want each save to add compression. For photos you only want to share, JPG gives far smaller files.
Quality and file size
PNG is lossless, so the PNG looks exactly like the WebP. For photos the file grows a lot: our 1.0 MB WebP became 17.0 MB (16.2× the size). Logos and flat graphics grow much less. Turn on Resize if you need smaller dimensions.
Metadata
With Keep metadata on, what the WebP carries is copied: in our test the camera model was kept and the GPS location was kept. Most WebP files from websites have no such data to begin with.
Batches
Drop many WebP files at once; they're converted in parallel and saved next to the originals under new names.
With what's built into macOS
Open the WebP in Preview, choose File ▸ Export and pick PNG. On the command line, sips -s format png in.webp --out out.png does the same.
Where it falls short
- Apple doesn't document WebP support in Preview, even though current macOS opens WebP files.
- Preview's batch export requires opening every file and selecting them in the sidebar, and Apple Community users report that it sometimes skips files.
- sips works one command at a time and has no progress or error summary for a folder.
Related conversions
- WEBP to JPG Turn images saved from the web into JPGs that every app and upload form accepts.
- PNG to WEBP Make images smaller for websites, keeping transparency, even though macOS can't save WebP.
- JPG to PNG Get a PNG copy of a photo for editing or for apps that require PNG, losing nothing further.
- HEIC to PNG Turn iPhone photos into PNG files that open everywhere, without losing any quality.
Questions
How do I save a WebP as a PNG on a Mac?
Open it in Preview, choose File ▸ Export, set Format to PNG and save. Macsential's Convert Images does the same for many files at once.
Does WebP to PNG keep transparency?
Yes. Both formats support transparency, and PNG keeps it.
Does it lose quality?
No. PNG is lossless, so it keeps exactly what the WebP shows.
Why is the PNG so much bigger?
WebP compresses photos with loss, PNG without. Our 1.0 MB WebP photo became 17.0 MB as PNG; graphics with flat colors grow far less.
Can I convert WebP to PNG in Terminal?
Yes: sips -s format png image.webp --out image.png. For a folder, a loop over the files works, or use Macsential for a batch with progress.
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