AVIF file format (.avif)
Newest web format, best compression. Encoding needs a recent browser.
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What is an AVIF file?
In short: An AVIF file (.avif) is an image file in the AVIF format. AVIF is the smallest of the widely supported image formats, often half the size of a JPG that looks the same. It can be converted to JPG, PNG or WEBP for free in a web browser with iHateFiles, without uploading it.
Published in 2019 by the Alliance for Open Media, using the still-frame compression from the AV1 video codec.
AVIF is the smallest of the widely supported image formats, often half the size of a JPG that looks the same. It handles high dynamic range, wide colour, transparency and animation, and it degrades more gracefully than JPG when pushed hard.
What AVIF is good at
- The best quality per byte of any format here
- High dynamic range and wide colour gamut
- Transparency and animation
Where AVIF falls short
- Many browsers read AVIF but cannot write it, current Chrome on macOS included
- Encoding is slow, noticeably so for large images
- Support outside browsers is still patchy
- Very fine detail can be smoothed away at low quality
When to use AVIF
Use AVIF where file size matters most and the audience is on current browsers, with a JPG or WEBP fallback for anyone else.
How to open a AVIF file
Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge. Desktop image software is catching up but many older tools cannot.
| Windows | Photos needs the AV1 Video Extension from the Microsoft Store. |
|---|---|
| macOS | Preview has supported AVIF since macOS Ventura. |
| Linux | GIMP 2.10.22 and later, and any viewer built against libavif. |
| Phone | Native on Android 12 and later, and iOS 16 and later. |
| In a browser | Chrome, Firefox and Safari all display AVIF now. |
The thing that usually goes wrong
Reading AVIF is nearly universal; writing it is not. A browser without an encoder quietly hands back a PNG instead of refusing, so the conversion looks as though it worked. Current Chrome on macOS is one of them. This site checks for a real encoder first and says so when there is none.
Questions
What is a AVIF file?
Newest web format, best compression. Encoding needs a recent browser. Files use the .avif extension.
How do I open a AVIF file?
Most image software opens AVIF directly. If yours does not, convert it here to something more common. It takes a few seconds and nothing is uploaded.
Can I convert AVIF for free?
Yes. Every conversion here is free and unlimited, because your own device does the work rather than a server we have to pay for.
Is AVIF lossless?
No. AVIF is a lossy format, so saving discards some detail to save space.