WEBP to JPG: convert for compatibility
Some apps, printers and upload forms still refuse WEBP. Converting to JPG makes the image open almost anywhere, at the cost of some transparency.
Why compatibility still matters
WEBP is supported by every current browser, but the same cannot be said for older desktop software, some email clients, print shops and a number of upload forms.
When a system rejects the file, converting to JPG is the quickest fix because JPEG is the most widely accepted image format in existence.
What you give up
JPEG has no alpha channel, so any transparent area is filled with a solid colour, white in this converter. Rounded logo corners or soft shadows end up inside a white box.
Compression becomes lossy, and the JPG is usually slightly larger than the WEBP it came from because the newer format compresses more efficiently.
How much quality is actually lost
Re-encoding a WEBP as JPG means decoding a compressed image and compressing it again, so a small amount of detail is lost twice. At a high quality setting the loss is difficult to see in a photograph; at a low setting it appears as softness and blocky patches in smooth areas such as skies and skin.
The JPG is also usually larger than the WEBP it came from, because JPEG compresses less efficiently. You are trading file size for compatibility, not improving the image in any way.
Converting several files at once
When a folder of WEBP images has to reach a system that only accepts JPG, convert the whole set in one pass instead of one file at a time, and leave the originals untouched. Add a clear suffix to the converted filenames so the copies are easy to tell apart from the masters.
Check one converted file at full size before processing the rest, so a poor quality setting does not repeat across the entire batch.
When to stay with WEBP
If the image is going straight onto your own website and you control the markup, keep the WEBP. The smaller file is the better choice for speed, and modern browsers will display it correctly.
Convert only when the destination is outside your control.
It takes a few seconds and runs in your browser:open the WEBP to JPG converter
A checklist before you send the JPG
Confirm the destination system actually opens JPG, check transparent areas for an unexpected white box, and compare edges and smooth gradients at full size against the WEBP original.
Keep the WEBP as the master copy. If the JPG looks softer than expected, convert again from the original at a higher quality setting rather than re-saving the JPG, which would add another layer of compression on top of the first.