JPEG XL was supposed to be the format that replaced everything. Better compression than AVIF, faster encoding than WebP, lossless recompression of existing JPEGs, progressive decoding, and a feature list that made every other format look incomplete. Then Chrome dropped it, and the web moved on.
This is the story of the most technically impressive image format that the web may never adopt, and what it means for developers making format decisions today.
What Is JPEG XL?
JPEG XL (JXL) is an image format standardized as ISO/IEC 18181 in 2022. It was developed by the JPEG Committee, the same organization behind the original JPEG standard. The format combines two research projects: Google's PIK and Cloudinary's FUIF.
Key technical capabilities:
- Compression: equal to or better than AVIF on photographic content, significantly better than WebP and JPEG.
- Lossless JPEG recompression: existing JPEG files can be losslessly transcoded to JXL, reducing their size by approximately 20%, and perfectly reconstructed back to the original JPEG bytes. No other format can do this.
- Progressive decoding: images render progressively from a low-quality preview to full quality, similar to progressive JPEG but more advanced. This improves perceived performance on slow connections.
- Encoding speed: fast encoding, comparable to or faster than WebP. This is a significant advantage over AVIF, which encodes 5 to 10x slower.
- Feature completeness: lossy, lossless, transparency, animation, HDR, wide color gamut, up to 32-bit float per channel, and layers.
- Royalty-free: released under a royalty-free license with a reference implementation available.
On paper, JPEG XL is the most capable image format ever designed for the web.
Why JPEG XL Was Promising
Three features made JPEG XL uniquely compelling:
Lossless JPEG recompression. The web serves trillions of JPEG files. JPEG XL can reduce every one of them by ~20% without touching a single pixel. No quality decision needed, no visual comparison, no risk of introducing artifacts. For CDNs and large image archives, this alone would save petabytes of storage and bandwidth. No other format offers this capability.
Fast encoding. AVIF's main weakness is encoding speed. JPEG XL encodes as fast as or faster than WebP, which means it could work in dynamic pipelines (CMS image processing, on-the-fly conversion, real-time uploads) where AVIF cannot. A format that combines AVIF-level compression with WebP-level encoding speed would be the clear winner for every use case.
Progressive decoding. On mobile networks with variable bandwidth, progressive rendering provides a meaningful user experience improvement. The user sees a usable preview in milliseconds, with quality improving as more data arrives. AVIF does not support progressive decoding, WebP does not either, and progressive JPEG is crude by comparison.
The Chrome Decision | Why Google Dropped Support
In October 2023, Google removed the JPEG XL flag from Chrome, effectively killing the format's path to web adoption. The stated reasons were:
- Insufficient interest from the ecosystem.
- Low usage behind the experimental flag.
- The cost of maintaining another image decoder in the browser codebase.
- WebP and AVIF already covering the web's needs.
The decision was controversial. The JPEG XL community argued that ecosystem interest was circular, developers would not adopt a format behind a flag, and the flag's existence was not a valid measure of demand. Multiple open-source contributors and companies (Cloudinary, Adobe, Apple) publicly disagreed with the decision.
Critics also pointed out a potential conflict of interest: Google developed WebP and was a founding member of the Alliance for Open Media (which develops AVIF). Supporting JPEG XL would mean supporting a competitor to two formats Google had invested heavily in.
Regardless of the reasons, the effect was definitive. Without Chrome (and therefore Chromium-based browsers like Edge, Opera, Brave, and Samsung Internet), JPEG XL cannot reach the browser support threshold needed for practical web deployment.
Current JPEG XL Support in 2026
| Browser | JXL support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome | No | Removed in version 110 |
| Firefox | No | Behind flag only (about:config) |
| Safari | Yes (17+) | Full support since September 2023 |
| Edge | No | Chromium-based, follows Chrome |
| Opera | No | Chromium-based |
| Samsung Internet | No | Chromium-based |
| Brave | No (default) | Available via flag |
Effective browser support: ~18% (Safari only).
Outside of browsers, JPEG XL has better support:
- macOS and iOS: native support in Apple's ecosystem since macOS Sonoma and iOS 17.
- Adobe products: Photoshop, Lightroom, and Camera Raw support JXL import and export.
- darktable and GIMP: open-source image editors support JXL.
- libvips and ImageMagick: server-side image processing libraries support JXL.
JPEG XL is becoming a viable format for professional imaging workflows and local storage. It is not viable for the web.
Should You Use JPEG XL Today?
For the web: no. With only Safari support (~18% of browsers), serving JXL on the web means 82% of your users cannot see the image without a fallback. You would need to generate and serve JXL, WebP, and JPEG variants, which adds complexity for minimal benefit since the JXL files would only be served to Safari users.
The cost-benefit calculation does not work. AVIF covers 93% of browsers and provides similar compression gains. Adding JXL as a fourth format layer on top of AVIF + WebP + JPEG adds build complexity, storage costs, and testing surface for a small audience.
For local storage and archival: yes. If you manage a large image archive, JPEG XL's lossless JPEG recompression can reduce storage by ~20% with zero risk. The files can always be losslessly converted back to the original JPEG if needed.
For professional workflows: conditionally. If your pipeline involves Apple devices and Adobe software, JXL is well supported. For cross-platform workflows, WebP or AVIF are more practical.
Alternatives to JPEG XL
For each of JPEG XL's key advantages, here is the practical alternative in 2026:
| JXL advantage | Alternative | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Best compression | AVIF | Slower encoding, no progressive decode |
| Fast encoding | WebP | Slightly worse compression |
| Lossless JPEG recompression | No equivalent | Nothing else can do this |
| Progressive decoding | Progressive JPEG | Crude but functional |
| HDR and wide gamut | AVIF | Full support |
| Animation | WebP | Full support |
The gap that no other format fills is lossless JPEG recompression. For everything else, the combination of AVIF + WebP covers all practical web needs.
Convert Your Images
While JPEG XL is not ready for the web, WebP and AVIF are. Morphix converts JPG and PNG images to both formats directly in your browser. No registration required for the free plan.