JPEG has been the default photo format for so long that most image collections — camera rolls, product shots, blog archives — consist of little else. That is exactly what makes converting to AVIF worthwhile: the newer format, derived from the AV1 video codec, typically reaches the same visual quality at around half the file size. Cut a site's image payload in half and pages load faster, bandwidth costs drop, and Core Web Vitals improve without touching a line of code.
Converting one lossy format to another raises a fair question: does the image degrade? The detail your JPEG already threw away is gone for good — no converter can restore it — but AVIF is efficient enough to re-encode what remains without visible change. The quality slider defaults to 55, which sounds low if you are calibrated to JPEG numbers; AVIF quality values do not map one-to-one onto JPEG's scale, and 55 is roughly where photographs stop showing any difference from their source. Drag it higher for images you plan to keep working on.
Your photos stay yours throughout. Convertmaxxing does the entire job with WebAssembly running inside the browser — it decodes the JPEG, encodes the AVIF, and hands you the download, with no upload step at any point. It is free, requires no account, and the encoder — a one-time download of about 5 MB — is cached by your browser, so later conversions start instantly. You can also strip EXIF metadata during conversion, which is useful when originals carry GPS coordinates you would rather not publish.
Two practical notes before you start. First, AVIF encoding is slower than what you may be used to: a large photo takes noticeably longer than a JPEG or WebP export would, because AV1 compression spends extra computation to earn its small files. Second, while every modern browser displays AVIF, some older desktop applications and image viewers still do not — keep your JPEG originals around if those tools are part of your workflow.
Why convert JPEG to AVIF?
- Roughly half the file size of JPEG at the same visual quality — a direct win for page speed and storage
- Runs completely on your device: photos are never uploaded, which matters for client work and personal shots
- Optional EXIF stripping removes location and camera data before images go public
- Quality slider (default 55) tuned to AVIF's scale, so you can compress harder or preserve more detail per image
- Free with no signup, and the engine is cached by your browser after the first use, so later conversions start instantly
How it works
- Step 1
Drop your files
Drag your JPEG files into the converter above, or click “Choose files”. Batches are welcome.
- Step 2
Pick your settings
AVIF is preselected. Adjust quality or size if you want, or keep the defaults.
- Step 3
Convert and download
Conversion runs locally in your browser. Download files individually or grab everything as a zip.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you store or even see my photos?
- No — there is nothing on our end to see. The converter is code that runs in your browser; your JPEG is decoded and re-encoded on your own hardware and never travels over the network. Close the tab and nothing persists anywhere.
- Is converting lossy JPEG to lossy AVIF a quality loss?
- It is technically a second generation of compression, but AVIF handles it gracefully. Detail already discarded by the JPEG cannot come back, and at quality 55 or above AVIF adds no visible artifacts of its own on typical photos. If an image matters, compare source and result at full zoom — and archive the original JPEG regardless.
- Why is this conversion slower than converting to other formats?
- AV1, the codec underneath AVIF, achieves its compression by working much harder during encoding. Large photos can take a while to finish — that is expected, not a hang, and it is the price of the smaller output.
- Will the AVIF open everywhere my JPEG did?
- Not quite. All current browsers display AVIF, recent versions of macOS open it natively, and Windows can with a free codec extension — but older applications and some photo tools still cannot. AVIF is a safe choice for web delivery; for maximum compatibility with legacy software, JPEG still wins.