PNG is exact, and that is its problem: a full-screen screenshot, a large illustration or a banner with a transparent background can weigh several megabytes. AVIF stores the same picture in far fewer bytes and keeps the transparency, which makes it a good fit for graphics on the web.
This page opens Convert image with Convert to set to AVIF. You see the size your AVIF will have before you convert, and the work happens in your browser, so nothing is uploaded. It is free, with no account and no watermark.
When converting PNG to AVIF makes sense
Is your PNG file too big to load quickly? If the picture is going on a web page, converting PNG to AVIF is usually worth it. Typical cases:
- Screenshots in a help article, a guide or a blog post.
- Illustrations, banners and hero pictures on a website.
- Logos and product cut-outs with a transparent background, shown large.
- PNGs that are really photos, which PNG stores very inefficiently.
Keep the PNG when the pixels must stay exact: pictures you will edit again, print files, and anything a program or upload form must open, because many still do not accept AVIF. Converting does not change your PNG, so you can keep both.
A quick test before you commit: open the picture and look at the PNG and AVIF tiles under Convert to. If the AVIF is not much smaller, the PNG is already efficient, as flat graphics with few colours often are, and converting gains little. A big gap means AVIF is well worth it.
How to convert PNG to AVIF
- Press Select images and pick your PNG files, or drop them anywhere on the page.
- Convert to is already on AVIF. Pick a Quality: Smaller, Balanced or Best.
- Wait a moment: the stage shows Encoding the AVIF preview… until the exact size is ready.
- Compare in Split view, with the PNG on the left and the AVIF on the right.
- Press Convert, then save. diagram.png comes out as diagram.avif.
The AVIF encoder is about 3.5 MB and loads once, the first time you need it. The picture keeps its width and height in pixels, so the AVIF fits wherever the PNG did.
The tiles under Convert to show the size for every format at once, so you can see how the AVIF compares with WebP and with the PNG itself before you decide.
Quality for graphics, text and screenshots
PNG keeps every pixel. AVIF, as made here, compresses the picture, so some pixels change. On a photo you rarely notice; on sharp text, thin lines and flat colour you can, especially at a low Quality. The three choices stand for 60, 80 and 95 on the usual 0 to 100 scale.
| Picture | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshot with small text | Best | Letters stay crisp, with no smudges around them |
| Illustration, chart or diagram | Balanced, or Best for fine lines | Flat colours and edges need a little more room |
| Logo or cut-out with transparency | Balanced | Smooth edges, still a small file |
| A photo saved as PNG | Balanced or Smaller | Photos hide compression well |
Check before you save. Press 100% in the zoom buttons under the stage and drag the Split view divider across some text or a sharp edge. Hold to compare shows the PNG while you press it. If letters look soft, step up to Best.
AVIF for screenshots works well as long as the text stays readable at the size the page shows it. A screenshot shown smaller than its real size hides small flaws; one shown at full size, pixel for pixel, shows every one, so use Best there. Using AVIF for screenshots in documentation? Keep the PNGs as your masters, since you will likely update them later.
Transparent AVIF, and other ways to shrink a PNG
A transparent AVIF keeps the see-through parts of your PNG, soft edges and shadows included, so a logo still sits cleanly on any background. There is no setting to choose: transparency is simply kept.
AVIF is not the only fix for a PNG file too big to load quickly. Which one fits depends on where the picture goes:
- AVIF or WebP? Both keep transparency. AVIF usually makes the smaller file; WebP is much quicker to make. PNG to WebP has its own page.
- It must stay a PNG? Compress PNG packs it better, or uses fewer colours for a much smaller file, which suits flat graphics.
- It is a logo made of flat shapes? A traced SVG can be tiny and sharp at any size (raster vs vector explains why): try Image to SVG.
Converting photos rather than graphics? JPG to AVIF covers that case, with tips on quality for photos.
Batches, speed and privacy
AVIF gets its small files by working hard, so it takes longer to make than JPG or WebP. The exact size waits until the settings have been still for a second, so trying choices stays smooth.
- Select up to 100 pictures at once, or add more from the work screen. The button counts them: Convert 25 pictures.
- In a batch, each AVIF is made at a faster setting than a single picture, so a long run finishes sooner. The files can come out a little larger.
- Save all as ZIP saves every AVIF together, each with the name of its PNG.
- Every AVIF is drawn fresh, so any details stored in the PNG, such as a date, are not copied into it.
- Nothing is uploaded: the work happens in your browser, and our server does no picture work. It is free, with no account and no watermark, and image tools are not counted in the free daily limit, which applies to document conversions only.
- It works in current Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Very large pictures may be too big for your browser.
Because the encoder runs on your computer, a fast machine finishes a batch sooner than an old laptop. Keep the tab open until it is done. More on how we treat files is on the privacy page.
Make your graphics lighter
To change PNG to AVIF, select your pictures, keep Convert to on AVIF, pick a Quality while you watch the size, and press Convert. Transparency is kept, and Best keeps text sharp.
It is free and private. Select your PNG files above to start.
