Opening WebP Files in Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop opens and saves WebP natively from version 23.2 (released 2022). On that version or later, a .webp file opens like any other. Older Photoshop installations need Google's free WebPShop plugin, or a quick conversion to PNG. This guide covers both paths.

For the format itself, see What is WebP?. To convert a WebP without Photoshop, use WebP to PNG.

Does Photoshop support WebP?

Photoshop supports WebP natively from version 23.2, released in 2022. On current Photoshop you can open, edit, and export WebP through the standard File menu with no plugin. Both lossy and lossless WebP, including transparency, are handled.

If your Photoshop is older than 23.2, native support is absent and you need the plugin below or a conversion first.

How do you open a WebP file in Photoshop?

On Photoshop 23.2 or later, choose File ▸ Open and select the .webp file — it opens directly. To save as WebP, use File ▸ Save a Copy and choose WebP as the format, where you can set quality and lossless options.

Check your version under Help ▸ About Photoshop. Anything from 2022 onward includes native WebP.

How do you add WebP support to older Photoshop?

Install Google's free WebPShop plugin to add WebP open and save to older Photoshop versions. WebPShop is an official open-source plugin from the WebP team; download it, copy it into Photoshop's Plug-ins folder, and restart. WebP then appears in the Open and Save dialogs.

WebPShop is part of the broader WebP tooling — see libwebp: Installation, Tools, and the C API.

What is the simplest no-plugin option?

Convert the WebP to PNG, then open the PNG in any Photoshop version. This avoids plugins and version checks entirely. PNG preserves transparency and full quality, so it is a lossless intermediate for editing.

Convert in your browser with no upload using WebP to PNG. When finished editing, export back to WebP with PNG to WebP for the web.

Where to go from here

Modern Photoshop opens WebP out of the box. On older versions, add the WebPShop plugin or convert to PNG first — either way, editing a WebP takes only a moment to set up.