Should you switch to JPEG XL?
The Chrome team says JPEG XL compresses 30 to 50 percent better than JPEG, and the format also supports lossless images, transparency and HDR. That makes it attractive for archiving photos and for websites that want faster pages.
Support is still uneven, though. Chrome 155 and newer and Safari 17 and newer can display JPEG XL, while many apps and services cannot yet. Keep your original files, and check whether a browser supports JPEG XL before you publish .jxl images on a website.
Settings explained
- Quality balances file size against detail. 85 is a good start for photos; at 90 and above most people cannot tell the result from the original.
- Lossless keeps every pixel exactly. Files are larger, but nothing is thrown away, which suits graphics and screenshots.
- Speed sets how hard the encoder works. Smallest file takes noticeably longer, especially on phones.
Questions
Does this use JPEG XL’s lossless JPEG recompression?
Not yet. This tool re-encodes the pixels of your image. JPEG XL can also repack a JPG so that the identical original file can be restored later; that needs a different encoder mode, which this tool does not offer yet.
Why did my file get bigger?
Small or already heavily compressed JPGs can grow when they are encoded again. Try a lower quality, or keep the original for that image.
Are my images uploaded?
No. The encoder runs in your browser using WebAssembly. You can even disconnect from the internet after the page has loaded.
Is metadata kept?
No. EXIF data, including location, is not copied to the JPEG XL file.
Which images can I convert?
Any image your browser can open: JPG, PNG and WebP everywhere, plus formats such as AVIF where your browser supports them.