What is AVIF? Opening .avif files and converting to JPG or PNG
An image you saved from the web is a .avif that will not open or send. Here is what AVIF is, why it is high quality yet small, and how to convert it to JPG or PNG so it is easy to work with.
AVIF is a newer, high-quality, small format
AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is a relatively new image format. It applies the AV1 video codec's technology to still images, so at the same quality it saves even smaller than JPG or WebP. Speed-focused sites increasingly serve images as AVIF.
It also supports transparency and HDR, covering photos, illustrations, and logos alike. If an image you right-click-saved from a web page came down as .avif, that is because the site was serving AVIF.
Why it won't open or send
Because AVIF is new, some software and services still do not support it. Older Windows viewers, some photo editors, and certain social, chat, or web-form uploads may refuse to open it or reject the upload.
Even when your current browser displays it, whether the recipient can open it, or a submission site accepts it, is a separate question. For sharing, submission, or editing in another app, converting to widely supported JPG or PNG is the practical fix.
AVIF to JPG: for sharing and compatibility
For email, chat, web uploads, or document submission, JPG is the best target. It opens almost everywhere, so it clears 'the recipient can't open it' in one move, and photos stay comfortably small.
Our AVIF to JPG tool converts on drop and supports batch conversion, so you can turn a pile of AVIFs into an easy-to-handle format at once.
AVIF to PNG: for transparency and editing
For an AVIF with a transparent background, an image you will keep editing, or crisp graphics with text, PNG is the better target. PNG keeps transparency and is lossless, so it carries over AVIF's transparency and quality well.
AVIF to PNG also processes in-browser, so even a transparent AVIF converts without leaving your device, keeping the see-through areas intact.
If you are exporting for the web yourself
If instead you want to serve highly compressed images to lighten your own site, AVIF and WebP are the candidates. AVIF goes smaller, but its support is still spreading, so if you want a balance with compatibility, start with WebP.
Choose AVIF for 'as small as possible, mostly modern environments' and WebP for 'balance of size and compatibility'. JPG → WebP conversion is available on Filewisp too.
Bottom line: receive in JPG/PNG, serve in AVIF/WebP
AVIF is high quality and small, but support is still catching up. To handle a received AVIF reliably, convert to JPG for sharing or PNG for transparency and editing. When serving light images yourself, choose between AVIF and WebP.
AVIF to JPG and AVIF to PNG are free, signup-free, and in-browser on Filewisp.