What is a PNG file?
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a lossless image format created in 1996 as a patent-free replacement for GIF. It stores every pixel exactly, so text, logos and sharp edges stay perfectly crisp however often you save the file.
PNG supports full transparency, which makes it the standard format for logos, icons, screenshots and graphics placed on top of other designs. For photos, though, PNG files are several times larger than JPG.
How to open a PNG file
PNG opens everywhere: Windows Photos, Mac Preview, iPhone and Android galleries and every web browser. Editors like Photoshop, GIMP, Figma and Canva keep the transparency intact.
- Extension
- .png
- Compression
- Lossless
- Transparency
- Yes
- Best for
- Logos, screenshots, graphics, text