How to Convert JPG to PNG Online (and When You Actually Should)
Not every image should be a PNG. This guide explains the real differences between JPG and PNG, when converting between them makes sense, and how to do it for free.
Converting a JPG to PNG takes seconds: upload your file to MyEasyTools JPG to PNG converter and download the result. But before you do, it is worth knowing whether you actually need a PNG — because the answer is not always yes.
JPG and PNG: the actual differences
JPG (also written JPEG) uses lossy compression. It achieves small file sizes by discarding some image data — the compression algorithm removes information the human eye is less likely to notice, particularly at smooth gradients and colour transitions. JPG is designed for photographs: complex scenes with many colours and no sharp geometric edges.
PNG uses lossless compression. Every pixel is preserved exactly as it was in the source. PNG supports transparency (an alpha channel) and is designed for images with sharp edges, flat areas of colour, text, and illustrations — screenshots, logos, icons.
The most important thing to understand: converting a JPG to PNG does not recover any quality. The quality lost during JPG compression is gone. A PNG created from a JPG will be larger in file size, but the visual quality is identical to the JPG you started with. You are not improving the image; you are changing its container format.
When converting JPG to PNG makes sense
You need transparency. JPG does not support transparent pixels. If you want to remove the background from an image, place it on a coloured background in a design tool, or composite it over other content, you need PNG. Converting first gives you the lossless format to work with.
You are going to edit the image and save it multiple times. Every time you save a JPG, it re-compresses from scratch — and each round of lossy compression degrades quality slightly. If you need to make iterative edits, keep the file as PNG during the editing process and only export to JPG (or WebP) at the end for final delivery.
You are working with screenshots, UI mockups, or diagrams. These images have sharp edges, flat colours, and text. JPG's compression introduces subtle blocky artefacts around hard edges — particularly visible on text and fine lines. PNG preserves these elements without any artefacts.
You are creating a logo or icon. Logos typically use flat colours and require crisp edges. PNG is the correct format; JPG is not.
When you should keep JPG (or use WebP)
Your image is a photograph. A photo saved as PNG can be 3–5× larger than the same photo as JPG at high quality. Unless you specifically need transparency or plan to edit the image, JPG — or better, WebP — is the correct format for photos. PNG photographic images waste significant storage and bandwidth.
The image is going on the web. Unless you need transparency, use JPG or WebP. Large PNG files slow page load times measurably, and search rankings are partly based on page speed. WebP typically achieves 25–35% smaller files than JPG at the same visual quality and is supported by all modern browsers.
File size matters. For any photo-type image, PNG is simply the wrong choice if you care about file size.
Step-by-step: convert JPG to PNG with MyEasyTools
Go to JPG to PNG converter.
Upload your JPG files. The free tier accepts up to 5 files at once with a 10 MB per-file limit.
Convert. The conversion runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded to a server. Your images stay on your device.
Download each converted PNG. File sizes will be larger than the originals. This is expected — PNG stores all the pixel data without compression loss.
File size expectations
| Image type | JPG size | Approximate PNG size |
|---|---|---|
| Phone photo (12 MP) | 3–5 MB | 15–25 MB |
| 1080p screenshot | 0.3–0.8 MB | 0.5–2 MB |
| Logo / icon (512 × 512) | 50–200 KB | 10–100 KB |
| Flat-colour illustration | 100–500 KB | 50–200 KB |
Note that for logos and flat-colour illustrations, PNG is often smaller than JPG. PNG's compression is well-suited to areas of uniform colour, while JPG struggles and produces blocky artefacts on them.
FAQ
Does converting JPG to PNG improve quality? No. Converting to PNG means no further quality is lost — but the quality lost during the original JPG compression does not come back. If a JPG already has visible compression artefacts (blocky areas, especially around edges and text), those artefacts will be present in the PNG too.
Can I convert back from PNG to JPG? Yes — use Image Resizer, which lets you choose the output format on download. The result will be a JPG with slight compression applied. If the source PNG was made from a JPG, there is no quality benefit to round-tripping; if the PNG is a true lossless original (like a screenshot), you will lose a small amount of quality in the JPG export, which is usually acceptable.
Will my image's transparency survive the conversion? If you are converting a JPG to PNG, there is no transparency to preserve — JPG does not support it. The PNG output is fully opaque. To add transparency (remove the background) after converting, use Remove Background on the PNG.
If you are ready to convert, the JPG to PNG converter runs entirely in your browser — instant, private, no account needed.