An AVIF file is a still image saved in the AV1 Image File Format — a modern, highly compressed format you have probably run into after saving a picture from a website. This page explains how it works, why it keeps showing up, and how to open or convert it.
AVIF stores images using AV1, a video codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media. Instead of inventing a new image compression scheme, AVIF takes a single AV1 video frame and wraps it in an image container. AV1 is very good at throwing away visual information your eye will not miss, so the resulting files are small. AVIF also keeps features that older formats handle poorly or not at all: an alpha channel for transparency, wide color gamuts, high dynamic range, and both lossy and lossless modes. In short, it packs modern video-grade compression into a picture.
Each format is built for a different job. The table below sums up the practical differences.
| Format | Compression | Transparency | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| AVIF | Very high (lossy or lossless) | Yes | Modern browsers; limited desktop apps |
| PNG | Lossless | Yes | Universal |
| JPG | Lossy | No | Universal |
AVIF wins on file size and features, PNG wins on lossless quality and transparency support everywhere, and JPG remains the safest choice for broad compatibility with photos. Converting AVIF to PNG trades small file size for a format that opens in every program.
Images save as AVIF because the website you downloaded them from served them that way. To cut bandwidth and load pages faster, sites — and browsers like Chrome that request AVIF when available — increasingly deliver photos and graphics in AVIF instead of JPG or PNG. When you right-click and save such an image, your browser keeps the original bytes, so the file lands on your disk as a .avif file. You did not choose the format; the site did, and your browser simply preserved it.
Whether an AVIF file opens depends entirely on whether the program you use has an AV1 decoder. Here is where things stand on each platform.
Windows 11 can open AVIF once the free AV1 Video Extension from the Microsoft Store is installed; Windows 10 additionally needs the HEIF Image Extension. On a fresh install neither is guaranteed, so double-clicking a .avif file often does nothing — a frequent reason people convert to PNG instead.
macOS Monterey and later can preview AVIF in Finder and Preview. Even so, many third-party editors on the Mac still do not read the format, so you may need a PNG copy before you can work with the image.
Every current major browser — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge — can display AVIF. That is exactly why a browser-based converter works so well: the browser already contains the decoder needed to open the file and turn it into a PNG.
An AVIF file is a still image compressed with the AV1 codec and stored in the AV1 Image File Format. It typically produces much smaller files than JPG or PNG at similar quality.
Windows 11 can open AVIF after installing the free AV1 Video Extension, and Windows 10 also needs the HEIF Image Extension. Without those, Windows will usually refuse to open the file.
Many websites now serve AVIF to save bandwidth. When you right-click and save such an image, the browser keeps the original AVIF format, which is why the file lands on your disk as .avif.
Use an AVIF to PNG converter. This site converts .avif to png entirely in your browser — drop the file on the home page and download a standard PNG that opens anywhere.
Convert your .avif images to PNG in your browser — free, private, and with no upload.