About PNG Files
PNG Image
PNG is a lossless image format that supports transparency. It is ideal for graphics, logos, screenshots, and any image where preserving exact pixel data is important.
Family
Raster & Vector Images
Extension
.png
MIME Type
image/png
Can Use As
HOW PNG
CAME TO BE.
PNG was born out of a licensing dispute. In 1994 Unisys announced it would enforce a patent on the LZW compression inside GIF images, sending a shockwave through the early web. A group of developers, led by Thomas Boutell, convened on Usenet and in six months designed a royalty-free replacement: Portable Network Graphics.
PNG shipped as an RFC in 1996 and as an ISO standard in 2004. It kept the best of GIF (lossless compression, transparency, 8-bit indexed mode) while adding 24-bit and 48-bit true color, alpha transparency, gamma correction, and a far better compression engine (DEFLATE). The only thing it deliberately dropped was animation — a gap later filled by APNG.
CURIOSITIES &
TRIVIA.
The first four bytes of every PNG file spell ".PNG" in ASCII — a built-in signature.
PNG's name is officially a recursive acronym: "PNG's Not GIF".
The format supports 16 bits per channel — good for HDR workflows — but almost no browser uses that depth.
Every PNG file ends with a CRC-checked "IEND" chunk; a truncated PNG is detectable immediately.
APNG (animated PNG) was invented at Mozilla in 2004 but ignored by the PNG standards body for over a decade.
STRENGTHS &
LIMITATIONS.
Strengths
- Lossless compression — every save preserves the original pixels perfectly.
- Full 8-bit alpha channel for smooth transparency.
- Excellent for text, UI screenshots, logos, and line art.
- Royalty-free and an ISO standard (ISO/IEC 15948).
- Supports 16-bit color depth for high-fidelity work.
Limitations
- Much larger than JPEG for photographs (no perceptual compression).
- No native animation in most software (APNG support is inconsistent).
- No CMYK support — web and screen only, not print.
- Metadata capabilities are less rich than JPEG's EXIF.
Typical Sizes & Weights
Icon or small logo
2–20 KB
UI screenshot (1920×1080)
200–800 KB
High-res photo (12 MP)
10–30 MB
Print-ready illustration
5–50 MB
Technical Specifications
- MIME type
- image/png
- Compression
- Lossless — DEFLATE (zlib)
- Color depth
- 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 bits per channel
- Max dimensions
- 2^31 − 1 pixels per side (2.1 billion)
- Transparency
- Full 8-bit alpha channel
- Standard
- ISO/IEC 15948:2004
CONVERT FROM
PNG
CONVERT TO
PNG
Common Use Cases
Logos, icons, screenshots, graphics with transparency, web design assets.
Related Formats
Popular comparisons
PNG vs JPG
Differences, file size, and when to choose each format.
PNG vs AVIF
Differences, file size, and when to choose each format.
PNG vs ICO
Differences, file size, and when to choose each format.
PNG vs GIF
Differences, file size, and when to choose each format.
PNG vs BMP
Differences, file size, and when to choose each format.
PNG vs WEBP
Differences, file size, and when to choose each format.
Popular PNG conversions
The most-requested destinations when starting from PNG.
Frequently Asked Questions about PNG
Frequently Asked Questions
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a lossless raster image format created in 1996 as a patent-free alternative to GIF. It supports transparency, making it ideal for logos, icons, and web graphics.
PNG files open natively in all modern operating systems, web browsers, and image editors including Photoshop, GIMP, Paint.NET, and Canva.
WebP offers 26% smaller file sizes than PNG with equivalent quality. Use WebP for web delivery when browser support is sufficient. Use PNG when maximum compatibility or professional editing workflows are needed.