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Use case · WordPress

Compress PNG for WordPress

Heavy PNGs are one of the most common reasons WordPress sites score poorly on PageSpeed. Compressing them properly cuts your file size by 60-80% and improves your Core Web Vitals LCP metric directly. Here is the right way to do it.

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Why it matters

PNGs are killing your WordPress speed

01

PNG is the heaviest common format

An uncompressed PNG can be 10x heavier than a JPG of the same content. Most themes ship default PNG screenshots and logos that are not optimised.

02

Core Web Vitals reward optimisation

Google's LCP metric measures how fast your largest image loads. Compressed PNGs improve LCP directly, which improves your search ranking.

03

WordPress media library does not compress

WordPress only generates resized variants. It does not lossy-compress PNGs by default. You need a separate step before upload, or a plugin that does it post-upload.

Recommended settings

Recommended settings for WordPress

For photographic content, switch to WebP (5-10x smaller). For logos, illustrations and screenshots that need transparency, keep PNG and compress.

  • FormatPNG (or WebP for photos)
  • Quality85-95 (PNG is lossless, only the algorithm tunes)
  • Target sizeUnder 200 KB for hero images
How to

Compress PNGs before uploading to WordPress

1

Run all your PNGs through the compressor

Drop them in. The compressor will reduce file size while keeping transparency intact. Works for logos, screenshots, illustrations.

2

Consider switching photos to WebP

If a PNG is actually a photograph (no transparency, no flat colors), convert it to WebP for an extra 5-10x reduction. WordPress 5.8+ supports WebP natively.

3

Upload to WordPress and verify

Upload as usual via the media library. Check your PageSpeed score before and after. You should see a measurable LCP improvement on image-heavy pages.

FAQ

Common questions

Should I use a WordPress plugin instead?
Plugins like ShortPixel or Smush do post-upload compression but they consume server resources, run on shared hosting cron jobs that often skip, and lock you into a SaaS. Pre-compressing once is faster and more reliable.
Does compression break transparency?
No. Morphix preserves the alpha channel of your PNG when compressing. Transparency stays intact.
Should I switch all my PNGs to WebP?
Switch the ones that are actually photographs. Keep PNG for logos, line art, transparent overlays and anything with sharp edges. Most modern browsers serve WebP via the picture element fallback.

Speed up your WordPress site

Compress your PNGs once, see the PageSpeed bump on your next deploy.

Open the PNG compressor