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Convert PNG to JPG on Mac

Mac users can convert PNG to JPG without installing any software, opening Photoshop, or learning the Preview export dialog with its non-standard quality scale.

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Works in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox on Mac

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Drag and drop PNG files

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No software installation needed

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Faster than opening Photoshop

Cost: Free forever
Sign-up: Not required
Processing: In your browser
Privacy: Files stay local

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Add this Image Format Converter to your website

Drop the Image Format Converter into any page — blog post, product docs, intranet, school portal — with a single line of HTML. Your visitors get the full tool, processed entirely in their browser. No backend, no uploads, no signup.

Files stay 100% in the visitor's browser
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Embed code

<iframe
  src="https://www.fixtools.io/image-tools/image-format-converter?embed=1"
  width="100%"
  height="780"
  frameborder="0"
  style="border:0;border-radius:16px;max-width:900px;"
  title="Image Format Converter by FixTools"
  loading="lazy"
  allow="clipboard-write"
></iframe>

<iframe
  src="https://www.fixtools.io/image-tools/image-format-converter?embed=1"
  width="100%"
  height="780"
  frameborder="0"
  style="border:0;border-radius:16px;max-width:900px;"
  title="Image Format Converter by FixTools"
  loading="lazy"
  allow="clipboard-write"
></iframe>

Attribution-friendly: a small "Powered by FixTools" link appears in the embed footer.

Mac Methods Compared: Preview Export, sips Command Line, and Browser Tools

macOS has built-in tools for PNG to JPG conversion that predate web-based converters by many years. Preview, the default image viewer on Mac since the very first version of OS X, can export PNG files as JPEG via File then Export. The export dialog includes a quality slider that runs from 0 to 12 rather than the 0 to 100 scale used by most other tools, which can be confusing if you are trying to match a specific quality target. A setting of 12 in Preview corresponds to approximately 100 percent quality, while 6 corresponds to roughly 50 percent. Preview is adequate for single-file conversions, but the non-standard quality scale makes it hard to match settings between Preview and other tools. Preview also lacks proper batch conversion through the standard export dialog, although you can select multiple images in Preview and export them all by going to File then Export Selected Images.

The Terminal command sips, short for Scriptable Image Processing System, is a Mac-native command-line tool that handles format conversion with no third-party software installation required. The command sips -s format jpeg sourcefile.png --out outputfile.jpg converts a single PNG to JPEG with a single line. For a batch conversion of all PNGs in a folder, the command sips -s format jpeg *.png --out ./jpgs/ processes every file in the current directory and writes the output to a subdirectory. By default, sips does not expose a quality parameter through its basic interface, though it accepts format options that can influence the encoding. For quality-controlled batch conversion from the command line, ImageMagick installed via Homebrew offers the magick convert command with explicit -quality flags that give you precise numerical control.

For users who do not want to open Terminal or navigate the Preview export menus, FixTools in a browser is the fastest option on Mac for ad-hoc conversions. Drag a PNG from Finder directly onto the browser window, set quality on the slider, and download. The drag-and-drop workflow is especially fast on Mac because you can keep Finder and the browser side by side on the same screen using the macOS tiling features or by holding Option while dragging a window to a screen edge. For batch conversions, FixTools processes multiple files in one session without the file-by-file workflow that Preview requires, and the consistent quality setting across the whole batch produces visually uniform output.

Power users can combine these approaches for a hybrid workflow. Use the browser tool for one-off conversions where the visual feedback of a quality slider matters, and use a sips or ImageMagick shell script for recurring batch tasks that should run unattended on a schedule. The FixTools converter can serve as the reference point for finding the right quality setting interactively, which you then reproduce in your shell script for the automated batch path. This approach gives you the best of both worlds: interactive iteration when needed, and unattended automation for the rest. The FixTools output and the ImageMagick output at the same quality setting are functionally interchangeable for any practical use case.

sips man page (Apple Developer)Preview user guide (Apple Support)ImageMagick for macOS (Homebrew)

How to use this tool

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Drag your PNG file onto the FixTools Image Format Converter in your Mac browser, select JPG as the output format, and download your converted image.

How It Works

Step-by-step guide to convert png to jpg on mac:

1
Open FixTools in your Mac browser
Visit fixtools.io in Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Arc, or Edge on your Mac and open the Image Format Converter. The page loads in under a second on most home and office connections because the converter ships as a small JavaScript bundle. Once loaded, the tool is fully functional even if your internet connection drops mid-session, which can happen on flaky office Wi-Fi.
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Drag and drop your PNG
Drag your PNG file from Finder directly onto the upload area in the browser window. You can also drag from your desktop, your Downloads folder, or any folder in Finder. For batches, select multiple PNGs in Finder using Cmd-click or Shift-click and drag the whole selection onto the converter at once. The drag-and-drop interaction is significantly faster than clicking the upload button and navigating the file picker.
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Select JPG as output
Choose JPG or JPEG as the output format from the format selector panel. Both labels refer to the same underlying image format, so either selection produces an identical output file. The format choice persists for the rest of your browser session, so subsequent uploads default to the same output type without needing re-selection on every conversion.
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Adjust quality if needed
Use the quality slider to set your preferred output quality between 1 and 100 percent. A value of 85 to 90 percent is recommended for most general purposes including web publishing, email attachments, and document embedding. For archival use or print submission, push to 95 percent. For aggressive size reduction on thumbnails, drop to 75 percent and inspect the result at 100 percent zoom in the preview.
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Convert and download
Click Convert to run the encoding step, then download the JPG. The file saves to your Mac Downloads folder by default, located at /Users/yourname/Downloads. You can change the default location in Safari Preferences under General, or in Chrome Settings under Downloads. For batch downloads, configure a dedicated folder so the converted files stay organised separately from your other browser downloads.

Real-world examples

Common situations where this approach makes a real difference:

Mac user sending a portfolio to a client

A freelance illustrator on macOS drags a batch of 15 PNG portfolio pieces from Finder directly onto the FixTools upload area in Safari. Converting at 90 percent quality produces a set of JPGs averaging 350 KB each, small enough to embed in a single email without hitting the Gmail 25 MB attachment limit. The illustration colours, fine line work, and texture details stay sharp at the embedded display size in the email client, and the client can preview the whole portfolio inline rather than downloading attachments individually one at a time.

Developer running a recurring Mac conversion task

A macOS developer adds a sips shell script to an Automator workflow so that new PNG exports from a design tool are automatically batch-converted to JPG in the output folder whenever the design team drops files into a shared folder. The FixTools web tool serves as the reference point for finding the right quality settings interactively, which the developer then reproduces in the shell script for the automated batch path. This ensures the browser-based and automated outputs are visually consistent across both channels of the workflow.

MacBook user preparing images for a Squarespace site

A small business owner on a MacBook drags PNG product photos from Finder onto FixTools in Chrome, converts them to JPG at 88 percent quality, and uploads them directly to their Squarespace media library through the browser tab. The converted files come in well under the Squarespace recommended image size, eliminating any need to install Photoshop, run a local optimisation script, or pay for a third-party image processing service. The whole site update from photography to live page takes well under an hour.

Pro tips

Get better results with these expert suggestions:

Preview quality 8 equals approximately 85 percent

Mac Preview uses a 0 to 12 quality scale for JPEG export, which differs from the 0 to 100 scale used in every other major tool. Quality 8 in Preview maps to approximately 85 percent in standard JPEG quality terms, which is a good balance for most uses. Quality 10 maps to around 90 percent, and quality 12 is the maximum setting. Use these equivalents when you are trying to match Preview output to FixTools, Photoshop, or any command-line encoder that uses the standard 0 to 100 quality scale.

Use sips for scripted batch conversion on Mac

If you convert PNG files regularly as part of a recurring workflow, add a sips command to a shell script or an Automator action that you can trigger with a keyboard shortcut. The command sips -s format jpeg *.png --out ./output/ converts all PNGs in a directory at once without opening any graphical interface. Pair it with a keyboard shortcut assigned through Automator for one-click batch conversion directly from Finder. This is the fastest approach for repeat batches that you know in advance will use the same settings.

Drag directly from Finder to browser

On Mac you can drag a PNG from any Finder window directly onto the FixTools upload area in your browser without first opening a file picker. This is significantly faster than clicking the upload button and navigating the file browser hierarchy. You can also select multiple PNGs in Finder using Cmd-click or Shift-click and drag them all onto the converter at once for batch conversion. The browser accepts the entire drop as a single multi-file upload.

Right-click Quick Action for repeat tasks

Create a macOS Quick Action in Automator that runs a sips conversion command using a Run Shell Script action. Assign the Quick Action to the right-click menu in Finder through System Settings then Privacy and Security then Extensions then Finder. This gives you a Convert to JPG option when you right-click any PNG in Finder, without needing to open a browser or Terminal each time you need a conversion. The Quick Action runs in the background and writes output to the same folder.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Open FixTools in Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or any other modern browser on your Mac. Drag your PNG from Finder onto the Image Format Converter, choose JPG as output, set the quality slider, and download the converted file. No Photoshop, no Pixelmator, no Preview workaround, and no additional apps are needed. The conversion runs in your browser in seconds using the standards-based Canvas API, and the output file is functionally identical to what desktop software would produce at the same quality settings. The tool also works without an internet connection once the page has loaded.

Yes. Mac Preview can export PNG as JPEG via File then Export. The quality slider in Preview uses a 0 to 12 scale where 12 is maximum quality, which differs from the 0 to 100 scale used in most other tools and can be confusing if you are trying to match a specific quality target. For batch conversion, go to File then Export Selected Images after selecting multiple files in the Preview sidebar. FixTools is faster for cases where you want a specific percentage-based quality setting, need to convert many files quickly, or want to see the output file size before committing to the conversion.

Yes. FixTools runs in any modern browser and is not affected by CPU architecture choices. It works identically on Intel Macs and Apple Silicon Macs including the M1, M2, M3, and M4 chip families across the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Studio product lines. All major browsers including Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Arc, and Edge support the Canvas API features used for the conversion on both architectures, and the encoding performance is actually slightly faster on Apple Silicon due to the more efficient JavaScript engine optimisations.

Yes. Drag PNG files from your desktop, your Downloads folder, your Pictures library, or any Finder folder directly onto the FixTools upload area in your browser tab. You can also click the upload button and navigate to any location on your Mac through the standard file picker, including external drives mounted under /Volumes, network volumes connected via Finder, and iCloud Drive folders that are visible through the Finder sidebar. Any file accessible to Finder is accessible to the file picker.

The basic command is sips -s format jpeg input.png --out output.jpg, which converts a single file with default quality. For batch conversion of all PNGs in the current folder, use sips -s format jpeg *.png --out ./output/, which writes output to a subdirectory. This requires no installation because sips is bundled with macOS. For explicit quality control beyond what sips offers, install ImageMagick via Homebrew and use magick convert -quality 90 input.png output.jpg, which gives you the full 0 to 100 quality scale and a much wider range of encoding options.

Yes, by default all major browsers save downloaded files to your ~/Downloads folder, accessible through the Finder sidebar Favourites section. You can change the download destination in your browser settings if you prefer a different location. In Safari, go to Preferences then General then File download location to pick a different folder. In Chrome, go to Settings then Downloads and set a custom folder, or enable Ask where to save each file before downloading to choose the location per download.

Yes. FixTools supports batch conversion entirely in the browser without any Terminal interaction. Upload multiple PNGs by selecting them all in the file picker using Cmd-click or Shift-click, or by dragging a multi-selection from Finder directly onto the converter window. Alternatively, Mac Preview supports Export Selected Images for a graphical batch export without Terminal, though FixTools offers more granular quality control and provides file size feedback in the preview that Preview does not display before exporting.

For a single file, the fastest method is to drag it onto an already-open FixTools browser tab, set the quality, and click download. This is usually faster than opening Preview, navigating to File then Export, choosing the format, setting quality, and clicking save. For users comfortable with Terminal, the sips command is even faster as a one-liner once the syntax is memorised. Power users sometimes alias the command to a short name in their shell config for even faster invocation from any directory.

PNG files rarely contain EXIF metadata in the traditional sense, since the format uses text chunks for metadata rather than the EXIF binary structure used in JPEG. When converting to JPG, the FixTools converter focuses on the pixel data and produces a clean output without copying metadata across formats. If you need EXIF preserved in the output, use the macOS Terminal tool exiftool to copy metadata from a related JPG source, or use ImageMagick with the -define profile options to control metadata handling explicitly during conversion.