Picovert

AVIF to PNG — Convert AVIF Images Free (Preserve Transparency)

By Picovert Team2026-01-214 min read

AVIF is a high-efficiency image format that's now the default on iPhone 16 (iOS 18) and increasingly common from cameras and image processing pipelines. While AVIF offers excellent compression, it's not widely supported in design tools, document editors, or older apps. Converting AVIF to PNG gives you lossless quality, universal compatibility, and preserved transparency — everything you need for editing or design work.

Why Convert AVIF to PNG?

  • Preserve transparency — AVIF supports alpha transparency, and PNG is the best format to carry that transparency forward. JPG would fill transparent areas with white.
  • Compatibility — PNG opens in every image editor, every operating system, and every app. AVIF support is still limited in Photoshop (added in 2021), older macOS Preview, and Windows (requires the HEVC codec pack).
  • Lossless editing base — PNG is lossless, so it's the right format to use as a source file for further editing. Converting AVIF → PNG → edit → export keeps quality high throughout the workflow.
  • Document insertion — Word, PowerPoint, and older Office versions can't insert AVIF. PNG works everywhere.

How to Convert AVIF to PNG Free

The easiest method works in any browser — no software to install:

  1. Open Picovert's AVIF to PNG converter. Free, no account required.
  2. Drop your AVIF file (or click to select). Multiple files supported for batch conversion.
  3. The file is processed entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded to a server.
  4. Download the PNG. The transparent areas in your original AVIF are preserved.

Does AVIF Support Transparency?

Yes — AVIF supports full alpha transparency with 8-bit and 12-bit precision. This is one area where AVIF actually outperforms PNG: AVIF with transparency compresses much smaller than equivalent PNG with transparency. However, AVIF transparency support in apps is inconsistent — some apps that claim AVIF support don't handle the alpha channel correctly. If you need reliable transparency across tools, converting to PNG is safer.

AVIF to PNG vs. AVIF to JPG — Which Should You Choose?

  • Choose PNG when: Your AVIF has transparent areas (logo, product shot, graphic with no background), you need lossless quality for further editing, or you're inserting into a design tool.
  • Choose JPG when: The image is a photo without transparency, you need the smallest file size, or you're inserting into documents, email, or platforms that prefer JPEG.
  • Rule of thumb: If in doubt, check whether your original has transparent pixels. If yes, convert to PNG. If it's a photo, JPG is usually the better output.

What Apps Can't Open AVIF?

AVIF support is still limited compared to PNG or JPG:

  • Windows — Requires the HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store (sometimes free, sometimes $0.99). The Photos app and Paint 3D support AVIF with the codec installed. Without it, AVIF shows as an unrecognized file.
  • macOS — macOS Ventura (13.0) added AVIF support in Preview. Older macOS versions can't open AVIF natively.
  • Photoshop — Added AVIF support in 2021 (version 22.4+). Older versions cannot open AVIF directly.
  • GIMP — GIMP 2.10.22+ supports AVIF on Linux. macOS/Windows support varies by build.
  • Microsoft Office — Word, Excel, and PowerPoint do not support AVIF image insertion as of 2025.

iPhone 16 AVIF Photos

iPhone 16 (iOS 18) captures photos in AVIF format when shooting in "High Efficiency" mode. If you receive an image from an iPhone 16 user and it arrives as an .avif file, the most reliable way to open it on any device or app is to convert it first:

  • Convert to PNG if the photo might have transparency or you need lossless quality.
  • Convert to JPG if it's a standard photo and you want the smallest file.

For batch conversion of multiple iPhone AVIF photos, the browser-based tool handles multiple files at once — drop all of them together and download the results.

AVIF vs. PNG: File Size Comparison

Converting AVIF to PNG will increase file size significantly, since AVIF uses lossy compression and PNG is lossless:

  • A 500 KB AVIF photo typically becomes 3–8 MB as PNG
  • A 200 KB AVIF graphic with transparency might become 800 KB–2 MB as PNG

This size increase is expected — you're converting from a compressed format to an uncompressed one. The PNG you receive is a faithful representation of what the AVIF decoder produces; no quality is lost beyond what was already lost when the original AVIF was created.

Batch Converting AVIF Files

If you have multiple AVIF files to convert — for example, a set of product images or a folder of iPhone photos:

  1. Open the converter in your browser.
  2. Select all your AVIF files at once using the file picker (hold Shift or Ctrl/Cmd to select multiple files).
  3. All files convert simultaneously and can be downloaded individually.