File formats explained
What each common image, document, audio and video format is for, how to open it on any device, and which free converters work with it.
| Format | Type | Transparency | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPG | Lossy | No | photographs, social media uploads and email attachments |
| JFIF | Lossy | No | nothing in particular: it is a JPEG saved with an unusual extension |
| PNG | Lossless | Yes (full alpha) | screenshots, logos, graphics with text and anything that needs a transparent background |
| WebP | Lossy and lossless | Yes (full alpha) | websites, because it is 25-35% smaller than JPG at the same quality |
| GIF | Lossless (256 colours max) | 1-bit (on/off) | simple animations and reaction images |
| BMP | None (uncompressed) | Rarely supported | legacy Windows software, embedded devices and some printers |
| AVIF | Lossy and lossless | Yes (full alpha) | next-generation web images with the best compression available |
| SVG | Vector (text based) | Yes | logos, icons and illustrations that must stay sharp at any size |
| HEIC | Lossy (HEVC) | Yes | storing photos on iPhone and iPad efficiently |
| ICO | PNG or BMP inside | Yes | website favicons and Windows application icons |
| TIFF | None, LZW, Deflate or JPEG | Yes | scanning, professional printing, publishing and archiving |
| Depends on content | n/a | sharing, printing and submitting documents that must look the same everywhere | |
| MP3 | Lossy | – | music and podcasts you want to play anywhere |
| WAV | Usually none (PCM) | – | recording, editing and archiving audio at full quality |
| M4A | Lossy (AAC) or lossless (ALAC) | – | iPhone voice memos, iTunes music and podcasts |
| OGG | Lossy | – | voice messages, games and open-source software |
| FLAC | Lossless | – | archiving music collections and hi-res audio |
| MP4 | Lossy (usually H.264 or H.265 video, AAC audio) | – | sharing and playing video on any device |
| MOV | Lossy (often H.264 or HEVC) | – | iPhone video and editing on Mac |
| WebM | Lossy | – | video on websites and browser screen recordings |