Does WordPress Support WEBP?

Yes — WordPress has supported WEBP uploads natively since version 5.8 (released July 2021). If your WordPress installation is up to date, you can upload WEBP images directly through the Media Library just like JPG or PNG files.

However, there are a few important things to know about getting the most out of WEBP in WordPress.

Method 1: Upload WEBP Images Directly

The simplest approach: convert your images to WEBP before uploading, then upload the WEBP file to WordPress.

  1. Convert your image using our free WEBP Converter
  2. Upload the .webp file via Media → Add New in WordPress
  3. Use it in posts and pages as you would any other image

WordPress will generate responsive size variants (thumbnail, medium, large) from your WEBP file automatically.

Method 2: Use a Plugin to Auto-Convert

If you have an existing library of JPG/PNG images and want them all converted to WEBP automatically, use an image optimization plugin:

  • Imagify — Converts on upload and bulk-converts existing media library
  • ShortPixel — Excellent compression with WEBP conversion
  • Smush — Free tier available, WEBP requires Pro
  • EWWW Image Optimizer — Good free option with WEBP support

These plugins also serve WEBP to supported browsers while falling back to JPG/PNG for unsupported ones.

Method 3: Use a CDN with Auto-WEBP

CDNs like Cloudflare, BunnyCDN, and KeyCDN can automatically convert and serve WEBP images to browsers that support it. Upload your original JPG/PNG images and the CDN handles format conversion transparently.

Serving WEBP with a Fallback (Without a Plugin)

If you're managing image output manually in your theme, use the HTML <picture> element for browser-side format selection:

<picture>
  <source srcset="image.webp" type="image/webp">
  <img src="image.jpg" alt="Description">
</picture>

Browsers that support WEBP load image.webp; others fall back to image.jpg. This is the recommended fallback pattern for hand-coded themes.

Impact on PageSpeed Scores

Google PageSpeed Insights recommends WEBP for all images and flags JPG/PNG as an opportunity. Switching to WEBP typically:

  • Eliminates the "Serve images in next-gen formats" recommendation
  • Reduces LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) time if your hero image is WEBP
  • Reduces total page weight by 25–35%
  • Improves PageSpeed mobile and desktop scores by 5–20 points for image-heavy pages

Checking WEBP is Working

Open Chrome DevTools → Network tab → filter by "Img" → check the Type column. WEBP images show as "webp". Alternatively, right-click any image → Save Image As and check the file extension in the save dialog.