Convert GIF to WebP

Turn GIF, the classic animated image format that plays everywhere, into WebP, Google's modern web image format, smaller than JPEG or PNG. FileChanger runs the image conversion in one call, no local tooling to install.

In the browser

Upload a file and download the result, no pipeline required. Open the converter.

One API call

POST the file with from=gif and to=webp, get the converted bytes back. Jump to the code.

From an agent

FileChanger ships an MCP server, so agents can run this conversion themselves. See the docs for setup.

Uploading something you care about? How to convert files safely explains what to check before you trust any converter, and Security and data handling describes exactly what we store and for how long.

Convert GIF to WebP in code

The same call from any language: POST the file to /api/convert, the response body is the converted file.

curl -X POST https://filechanger.io/api/convert \
  -H "X-Api-Key: fc_your_api_key_here" \
  -F "file=@input.gif" \
  -F "from=gif" \
  -F "to=webp" \
  -o output.webp
import requests

with open("input.gif", "rb") as f:
    response = requests.post(
        "https://filechanger.io/api/convert",
        headers={"X-Api-Key": "fc_your_api_key_here"},
        files={"file": f},
        data={"from": "gif", "to": "webp"},
    )

response.raise_for_status()
with open("output.webp", "wb") as out:
    out.write(response.content)
const formData = new FormData();
formData.append("file", fileInput.files[0]);
formData.append("from", "gif");
formData.append("to", "webp");

const response = await fetch("https://filechanger.io/api/convert", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "X-Api-Key": "fc_your_api_key_here" },
  body: formData,
});

const output = await response.blob();
import java.net.http.HttpRequest.BodyPublishers;
import java.net.http.HttpResponse.BodyHandlers;
import java.nio.file.Path;

String boundary = "----FormBoundary" + System.currentTimeMillis();
byte[] fileBytes = java.nio.file.Files.readAllBytes(Path.of("input.gif"));

String body = "--" + boundary + "\r\n"
    + "Content-Disposition: form-data; name=\"file\"; filename=\"input.gif\"\r\n"
    + "Content-Type: application/octet-stream\r\n\r\n"
    + new String(fileBytes) + "\r\n"
    + "--" + boundary + "\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"from\"\r\n\r\ngif\r\n"
    + "--" + boundary + "\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"to\"\r\n\r\nwebp\r\n"
    + "--" + boundary + "--";

HttpClient client = HttpClient.newHttpClient();
HttpRequest request = HttpRequest.newBuilder()
    .uri(URI.create("https://filechanger.io/api/convert"))
    .header("X-Api-Key", "fc_your_api_key_here")
    .header("Content-Type", "multipart/form-data; boundary=" + boundary)
    .POST(BodyPublishers.ofString(body))
    .build();

HttpResponse<byte[]> response = client.send(
    request, BodyHandlers.ofByteArray());
java.nio.file.Files.write(Path.of("output.webp"), response.body());
import Network.HTTP.Client
import Network.HTTP.Client.MultipartFormData
import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy as BL

main :: IO ()
main = do
  manager <- newManager defaultManagerSettings
  initialReq <- parseRequest "POST https://filechanger.io/api/convert"
  let req = initialReq
        { requestHeaders = [("X-Api-Key", "fc_your_api_key_here")] }
  request <- formDataBody
    [ partFileSource "file" "input.gif"
    , partBS "from" "gif"
    , partBS "to" "webp"
    ] req

  response <- httpLbs request manager
  BL.writeFile "output.webp" (responseBody response)

About GIF

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is CompuServe's 1987 bitmap image format that became the web's standard for animated graphics. Limited to a 256-color palette per frame and LZW compression, it produces much larger files than modern video codecs, but its universal support across browsers, chat apps, and email clients keeps it the de facto format for short looping clips and memes.

About WebP

WebP is Google's image format for the web, one codec covering what JPEG and PNG do separately: lossy and lossless compression, an alpha channel, and animation. Every current browser supports it, and it usually lands well under the size of an equivalent JPEG, which is why site builds and CDNs emit it by default.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert GIF to WebP?

Upload your file in the browser converter and pick WebP as the target, or POST it to /api/convert with from=gif and to=webp. The response body is the converted file.

Is converting GIF to WebP free?

Yes. Every account gets 200 MB of conversions free, metered on input size. After that you pay only for what you convert, from $0.10 per GB, with no monthly fee. See pricing for the paid tiers.

Is there an API for GIF to WebP conversion?

Yes, this whole conversion is one POST to /api/convert (the code examples above show it in five languages), plus an MCP server so AI agents can run it directly.

Why convert GIF to WebP?

WebP is Google's modern image format for the web. Converting GIF to animated WebP preserves the animation while taking advantage of superior compression, reducing file size by 50% or more while supporting full 24-bit color instead of GIF's 256-color limit.

Does the WebP keep the full animation from the GIF?

Yes. All animation frames and frame delays from the source GIF are preserved in the resulting animated WebP, so the image loops identically to the original.

Is animated WebP supported in modern browsers?

Yes. Every modern browser—including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge—natively supports animated WebP images without plugins or extra configuration.