How to Convert AVIF to PNG: 5 Free Methods in 2026

Why Convert AVIF to PNG?

AVIF is designed for delivery — it compresses images 50% better than JPG and 20–35% better than WebP. But delivery and editing are two different jobs, and AVIF was not built for the editing workflow. When you need to convert AVIF to PNG, you are almost always doing one of these things:

The key difference between AVIF to PNG and most other format conversions is the output size. PNG is lossless — it stores every pixel exactly. A 200 KB AVIF image might become a 1–3 MB PNG. That size increase is not waste; it is the full decoded image without compression artifacts, ready for editing or archiving at maximum quality.

Method 1: PhotoFormatLab — Free Browser-Based Converter (No Upload Required)

The fastest way to convert AVIF to PNG free is PhotoFormatLab's AVIF to PNG converter. It runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly — your files never leave your device. This is the critical privacy advantage over every server-based alternative: CloudConvert, FreeConvert, and Convertio all upload your files to remote servers before processing.

Step-by-step:

The tool supports multiple files simultaneously with no file size limits, no watermarks, and no account required. Transparency is preserved automatically — AVIF images with alpha channels produce PNG files with full alpha channel output.

Because processing happens locally on your device, a batch of 10 high-resolution AVIF images typically converts in under 15 seconds on modern hardware. Network speed has zero impact — there is no upload.

Method 2: FFmpeg CLI

FFmpeg is the gold-standard command-line tool for image and video conversion. It handles AVIF to PNG natively in versions 5.0 and later.

Convert a single file:

```bash

ffmpeg -i input.avif output.png

```

Preserve transparency (lossless PNG):

```bash

ffmpeg -i input.avif -pix_fmt rgba output.png

```

Batch convert all AVIF files in a folder:

```bash

for f in *.avif; do

ffmpeg -i "$f" "${f%.avif}.png"

done

```

Install FFmpeg:

FFmpeg is the best choice for scripted pipelines, CI/CD image workflows, and batch processing directories of AVIF files consistently. Because PNG is lossless, there are no quality flags to set — the output is always the full decoded image.

Method 3: ImageMagick (Batch Conversion)

ImageMagick's convert and mogrify commands provide broad AVIF to PNG support across platforms.

Convert a single file:

```bash

convert input.avif output.png

```

Batch convert all AVIF files in the current directory:

```bash

mogrify -format png *.avif

```

Output to a separate directory to preserve originals:

```bash

mogrify -format png -path ./png-output/ *.avif

```

Install ImageMagick:

Note that ImageMagick requires the AVIF delegate libraries (libavif or libheif) to be compiled in. On most package manager installations, these are included by default. If you encounter an error like no decode delegate for this image format, reinstall with --with-libavif.

Method 4: macOS Preview or Windows Paint

For occasional single-file conversions, both macOS and Windows have built-in tools that work without installing anything.

macOS Preview (Ventura 13 or later):

Preview handles transparency correctly — AVIF images with alpha channels export as PNG files with full alpha. For batch conversion on macOS, use the sips command-line tool:

```bash

sips -s format png *.avif --out ./png-output/

```

Windows Paint (Windows 11):

For anything more than a single file on Windows, use PhotoFormatLab's browser-based converter — batch conversion in Paint is not supported.

Method 5: Python Pillow (Automated Workflows)

Python's Pillow library supports AVIF input (version 9.1.0+) and PNG output, making it ideal for integration into larger automation pipelines.

Install Pillow with AVIF support:

```bash

pip install Pillow pillow-avif-plugin

```

Convert a single file:

```python

import pillow_avif

from PIL import Image

img = Image.open('input.avif')

img.save('output.png', 'PNG')

```

Batch convert a folder:

```python

import pillow_avif

from PIL import Image

from pathlib import Path

input_dir = Path('./avif-files')

output_dir = Path('./png-output')

output_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)

for avif_path in input_dir.glob('*.avif'):

img = Image.open(avif_path)

out_path = output_dir / avif_path.with_suffix('.png').name

img.save(out_path, 'PNG')

print(f'Converted: {avif_path.name} → {out_path.name}')

```

Python is the right choice when AVIF-to-PNG conversion needs to be embedded in a larger workflow — a Django/Flask web app, a media processing pipeline, or an automated design asset generator.

AVIF vs PNG: Key Differences

Understanding when each format belongs in your workflow helps you decide when converting makes sense versus when to keep AVIF.

The core principle: AVIF = delivery format. PNG = editing and archival format. They serve different stages of the image lifecycle, not competing uses of the same stage.

Does Converting AVIF to PNG Lose Quality?

No — this is one of the key advantages of AVIF to PNG conversion over AVIF to JPG.

When you convert AVIF to JPG, you are going lossy-to-lossy: the AVIF decoder outputs the full decoded pixels, and then the JPG encoder re-compresses them, introducing a second generation of quality loss.

When you convert AVIF to PNG, you are going lossy-to-lossless: the AVIF decoder outputs the full decoded pixels, and the PNG encoder stores them exactly, with no compression artifacts and no quality loss. The PNG output is a perfect representation of what the AVIF decoded to — which is already extremely close to the original source image at typical AVIF quality settings.

The only caveat: if your AVIF was encoded from an original that used HDR or a wide color gamut (Display P3 or Rec. 2020), and your PNG viewer only supports sRGB, some colors may appear slightly shifted. This is a display conversion issue, not a conversion quality issue.

When to Convert AVIF to PNG vs Other Formats

Not every use case calls for PNG. Here is a quick decision guide:

Convert AVIF to PNG when:

Convert AVIF to JPG instead when:

Convert AVIF to WebP instead when:

How Much Larger Will the PNG Be?

Expect your PNG files to be 3–8x larger than the source AVIF. The exact multiplier depends on image content:

This size increase is not waste — it is the price of lossless storage. If you subsequently export the PNG back to a delivery format (WebP or AVIF for web, JPG for email), the final delivery file will be similar in size to the original AVIF. The PNG is just the editing intermediate.

For a complete look at how AVIF compares to all major formats, see our AVIF vs WebP vs JPEG guide and our complete AVIF format guide.

Related Conversions

After converting AVIF to PNG, you may also need:

Frequently Asked Questions

Does converting AVIF to PNG reduce quality?

No. PNG is a lossless format — it stores every pixel exactly as decoded from the AVIF. You are converting from a lossy delivery format (AVIF) to a lossless archival format (PNG), which means no additional quality loss is introduced by the conversion itself. The PNG represents the full decoded AVIF pixels faithfully. This is different from converting AVIF to JPG, where a second lossy compression step is applied.

Why is my PNG so much larger than the AVIF?

AVIF uses aggressive lossy compression to achieve its tiny file sizes. PNG is lossless — it stores every pixel without compression artifacts. The size difference (typically 3–8x) reflects the difference between highly compressed lossy encoding and lossless storage. If you want a smaller web delivery format, convert your edited PNG back to WebP or AVIF when you are done editing.

Can I convert AVIF to PNG without uploading my files?

Yes. PhotoFormatLab's AVIF to PNG converter processes everything in your browser using WebAssembly. Your AVIF files never leave your device — no upload, no server, no third-party storage. This is important for design assets, client images, product photos, and any file you would not want processed on a remote server. For more on browser-based conversion, see our guide on converting images without uploading.

Does AVIF transparency convert correctly to PNG?

Yes. Both AVIF and PNG support full alpha channel transparency. When you convert an AVIF image with transparency, the alpha channel is preserved exactly in the PNG output — including partial transparency and smooth edges. This makes AVIF to PNG conversion the right choice whenever transparency needs to be preserved for compositing, overlay, or design work.

Can I batch convert multiple AVIF files to PNG at once?

Yes. PhotoFormatLab supports batch conversion — drop multiple AVIF files onto the converter and download them all as PNG. FFmpeg and ImageMagick also support folder-level batch conversion from the command line. For large batches (hundreds of files), the command-line tools are fastest; for up to a few dozen files, the browser-based converter is more convenient.

What software can open the PNG files after converting?

Every image viewer, editor, browser, and operating system that has ever supported images supports PNG. That includes Photoshop, GIMP, Affinity Photo, Figma, Canva, Preview, Windows Photos, all web browsers, all email clients, all document editors (Word, Pages, Google Docs), and every print workflow. PNG has 100% universal support — it is the safest choice when you are not sure what the recipient's system can handle.