.JPEG File Extension

JPEG Image

Developer Joint Photographic Experts Group
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What is a JPEG file?

A JPEG file is an image saved in a compressed graphic format standardized by the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG). It supports up to 24-bit color and utilizes lossy compression, which may noticeably reduce the image quality if high amounts are applied. Users commonly save digital photos and web graphics as JPEG files.

More Information

Screenshot of a .jpeg file in Microsoft Photos 2021
JPEG file open in Microsoft Photos 2021

In the early 1980s, no technology allowed users to easily compress and share digital images. In 1982, the JPEG workgroup began designing a compression standard for reducing the size of image files, making them easier to share while retaining as much of their quality as possible.

In 1992, the workgroup created the JPEG file format, and many technologies adopted the format. Since then, it has become the most common image compression standard and allows users to produce sharable, high-quality image files.

More information about the JPEG format

The JPEG format utilizes a lossy compression algorithm to reduce the size of images. The compression algorithm destroys some data within the original image file; however, the data loss is mostly unnoticeable to the human eye. The format also stores metadata that describes the contents of its file, such as the color space, color profile, and image dimension information.

NOTE: Image files saved in the JPEG format are more commonly appended with the .JPG extension than the JPEG extension.

How to open a JPEG file

You can open a JPEG file with a large number of free and commercial image viewing and editing applications available for desktop and mobile platforms. Some options include:

NOTE: You can also view a JPEG file with a web browser by dragging and dropping it into the browser window.

How to convert a JPEG file

Many image viewers and editors, including Microsoft Photos, Apple Preview, and Corel PaintShop Pro, can convert JPEG files to other formats.

For example, Microsoft Photos can convert JPEG files to the following formats:

  • .PNG - Portable Network Graphic
  • .TIF, .TIFF - Tagged Image File Format
  • .BMP - Bitmap Image
  • .JXR - JPEG XR Image
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Programs that open JPEG files

Verified by FileInfo.com

The FileInfo.com team has independently researched the JPEG Image file format and Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS apps listed on this page. Our goal is 100% accuracy and we only publish information about file types that we have verified.

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