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How to Convert PNG or JPEG to WebP on Mac

macOS has no built-in, one-click way to export an image as WebP. Here's the command-line route for anyone comfortable with Terminal, and where a dedicated app saves the trouble.

5 min read

Converting with cwebp (Google's command-line encoder)

  1. Install Homebrew, if you don't have it

    Open Terminal and run the install command from brew.sh. Skip this step if brew already works.

  2. Install the webp tools

    Run brew install webp. This installs cwebp, the official WebP encoder.

  3. Convert a single file

    Run cwebp -q 80 input.png -o output.webp. The -q flag sets quality from 0 to 100.

  4. Convert a whole folder

    Run a loop, e.g. for f in *.png; do cwebp -q 80 "$f" -o "${f%.png}.webp"; done, to process every file in the current folder.

Where this falls short

cwebp is accurate and free, but it's a command-line tool: no preview, no drag-and-drop, no way to check the result before committing, and every batch job means writing or re-running a shell command. It also only does WebP, not AVIF, and only encodes, it won't resize, crop, or convert the other direction.

Batch conversion with a preview, no Terminal

FlexiWebP converts to WebP and AVIF in batches, with a before/after preview and quality slider, entirely on your Mac.

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Frequently asked questions

Can Preview export images as WebP?

No, Preview's export formats don't include WebP. You need either a command-line tool like cwebp or a dedicated converter app.

Does converting to WebP upload my files anywhere?

Not with cwebp or FlexiWebP. Both run entirely on your Mac, no upload involved.

Is WebP smaller than PNG or JPEG?

Usually, often noticeably so at the same visual quality, though the exact difference depends on the image content.