Given that websites are becoming increasingly heavy and require more processing power to function, Google devised a solution some time ago that allows saving some server space, reducing bandwidth usage, and optimizing the delivery of web pages: it is the .WebP format.
This image format, similar to PNG or JPG, allows for much greater compression, resulting in significantly smaller files and faster loading times. However, the problem is that using it requires installing a codec on your computer , and it's not compatible with most applications. Therefore, you'll most likely want to use the corresponding file in a more compatible format , so we'll show you how to obtain it.
So you can get the PNG or JPG file of an image in WebP format easily and without installing anything
First, it's important to note that this tutorial applies to most websites; however, it depends on the site's administration . Typically, in addition to the WebP image, a copy in other formats is also loaded. While WebP compatibility is expanding, it doesn't yet work with all browsers, so caution is advised. We'll also show two alternatives that may work in most cases.
First option: play with the attribute -rw
A very simple way to fix the problem is to take advantage of the attribute -rw, in as much as It is the way that many servers have to separate the versions in WebP format from the original ones. In most cases, it will be incorporated and will cause you to not be able to download, so its solution is simple:
- Select the image you want to download, right-click and open it in a new tab to be able to act.
- Now, at the top, in the URL address bar, check if the end of the address is written
-rw:- If it appears, delete only this part of the URL and hit enter.
- In the event that it does not appear, you can try adding it yourself. Just type
-rwat the end and hit enter. If you get a 404 error when doing so, you can try adding the text instead?-rw.
- Right-click again to save the image to your computer and check that the download is performed in a format other than WebP.
-
- Open in new tab
-
- Remove -rw attribute from URL
-
- Save Picture
It does not work? Use a browser that does not support the WebP format
In most cases, using the attribute -rw It should work as it is what website administrators usually do. However, the problem is that in the online world not everything always works, and this also applies here so we could say that there is no definitive solution. However, Before you start installing extensions, programs or using converters, you can try an alternative solution.
As we mentioned at the beginning, since it's not compatible with all browsers, it's possible that the website server stores a copy in PNG or JPG format, and that accessing the website from an older browser automatically uses those files instead of the WebP files. Therefore, one possible solution is to use an older browser.
This doesn't mean you have to install something unsafe on your computer, since Windows comes with Internet Explorer by default, an incompatible browser. You can quickly find it using the search bar; simply copy the URL of the image you want to download and paste it into Internet Explorer.
With the image open in Internet Explorer, simply right-click, select " Save image as..." , and choose the location where you want to save the image. If everything goes well, you should be able to see it in PNG, JPG, or at least some other file format that Windows recognizes and that you can work with.