What is a JPG file?
JPG (also written JPEG, from the Joint Photographic Experts Group that created it in 1992) is the most widely used photo format in the world. Phones, cameras, websites, email and social networks all handle it.
JPG uses lossy compression: it discards fine detail your eye barely notices, which makes photos 5-10 times smaller than an uncompressed copy. The trade-off is that every re-save loses a little more detail, and it can't store a transparent background.
How to open a JPG file
Every device opens JPG files out of the box: Photos on Windows and Mac, the Photos or Gallery app on iPhone and Android, and any web browser. To edit one, use Photoshop, GIMP, Canva or the free tools on ConvertPixels.
- Extensions
- .jpg, .jpeg, .jpe, .jfif
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- No
- Best for
- Photos, sharing, email, websites