What Is AVIF? Format Guide & How to Open Files
AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is a modern image format with excellent compression. Learn what an AVIF file is, how to open AVIF files, and when to convert to JPG, PNG, or WebP for compatibility.
Key Features of AVIF
Superior Compression
AVIF can achieve file sizes 50% smaller than JPEG at equivalent visual quality, and 20% smaller than WebP. This makes it excellent for web optimization.
Excellent Image Quality
Even at high compression ratios, AVIF maintains impressive image quality with less of the artifacts and blockiness common to JPEG compression.
Advanced Features
AVIF supports HDR, wide color gamut, 10/12-bit color depth, transparency (alpha channel), and multiple color profiles.
Royalty-Free
Unlike some image formats, AVIF is open source and royalty-free, which has helped drive its adoption across the industry.
Browser and Software Support
AVIF support has been growing steadily since its introduction:
- Chrome: Full support since version 85 (August 2020)
- Firefox: Support since version 93 (October 2021)
- Edge: Support via Chromium base (version 85+)
- Safari: Not yet supported natively
- Android: Supported in Chrome for Android
This is why tools for converting AVIF to more universally supported formats like JPG and PNG remain important for ensuring compatibility across all devices and browsers.
Enterprise environments may lag behind consumer browsers. If you ship software to regulated industries, test AVIF support explicitly rather than assuming parity with Chrome or Firefox. Conversion tools on AVIF.best exist precisely for those compatibility gaps.
When to Use AVIF
AVIF is ideal for:
- Web optimization where file size is crucial (e-commerce, media sites)
- Photography with complex details and wide color ranges
- Progressive rendering of images
- Applications where image quality at small file sizes is important
E-commerce teams use AVIF for catalog thumbnails when their stack supports it. News sites may keep AVIF for article hero images on modern browsers while offering JPG fallbacks via conversion for syndication partners.
Why Convert AVIF to Other Formats?
Despite its advantages, there are several reasons you might need to convert AVIF files:
- Compatibility with older browsers (particularly Safari)
- Using images in software that doesn't support AVIF
- Sharing with users who may not have AVIF-compatible viewers
- Editing in image editing software that lacks AVIF support
How to Open AVIF Files
To open AVIF files, you can use a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) that supports AVIF natively, or convert AVIF to JPG or PNG using our free online converter so you can view or edit them in any software.
To open AVIF in Photoshop or other editors that don't support AVIF, convert your AVIF to JPG or PNG first using our tool, then open the converted file.
On Windows, you can often open AVIF in recent versions of Photos after installing codec updates, but results vary. A reliable approach remains conversion to JPG or PNG with a local tool so the output opens everywhere.
AVIF vs WebP
AVIF typically achieves 20% smaller file sizes than WebP at similar quality, with better compression and support for 10/12-bit color. WebP has broader browser support. For maximum compatibility, convert AVIF to JPG or PNG when needed.
AVIF vs PNG
AVIF offers much smaller file sizes than PNG with comparable quality and supports transparency. PNG is lossless and universally supported. Use our converter to turn AVIF into PNG when you need lossless editing or maximum compatibility.
Convert AVIF to JPG · Convert AVIF to PNG · Convert AVIF to WebP
Ready to Convert AVIF?
Our free online tools make it easy to convert your AVIF images to more universally supported formats: