AVIF file (AV1 Image File Format)
Newest web format, best compression. Encoding needs a recent browser.
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Convert AVIF to JPG, free and without uploading it.
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 an 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.
Not sure the file really is an AVIF? Identify it by its contents, whatever its extension says.
Questions
What is an AVIF file?
AVIF stands for AV1 Image File Format. Newest web format, best compression. Encoding needs a recent browser. Files use the .avif extension.
What does AVIF stand for?
AVIF stands for AV1 Image File Format.
How do I open an AVIF file?
On Windows: Photos needs the AV1 Video Extension from the Microsoft Store. On a Mac: Preview has supported AVIF since macOS Ventura. On a phone: Native on Android 12 and later, and iOS 16 and later. Or convert an AVIF here to a format that opens everywhere, free and without uploading it.
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.