Is JPEG XL Dead? Chrome Dropped It, Now What

By Gaurav Bhowmick

Google removed JPEG XL support from Chrome in late 2023. The internet declared the format dead. But the story is more complicated than that.

What happened. Chrome shipped JPEG XL support behind a flag in version 91 (2021). In October 2023, Google removed it entirely, citing low usage. The stated reason: not enough websites adopted JPEG XL to justify maintaining the code. Critics argued Google killed it to protect WebP — Google\'s own image format.

Where JPEG XL still works. Safari added full JPEG XL support in Safari 17 (September 2023) — the same month Chrome dropped it. Firefox has partial support behind a flag. Samsung Internet supports it. Photoshop, Lightroom, and GIMP support JPEG XL. The format is alive in the professional imaging world, just not in Chrome.

Why JPEG XL is technically superior. It supports lossless and lossy compression, progressive decoding, HDR, wide colour gamut, animation, and transparency — all in one format. It can losslessly recompress existing JPEG files to 20% smaller sizes without any decoding or re-encoding. No other format can do this.

The practical reality in 2026. Without Chrome support, JPEG XL cannot be used as a primary web format. Chrome holds roughly 65% of browser market share globally. You can serve JPEG XL to Safari users via content negotiation (Accept header), but you still need JPEG or WebP as a fallback.

What to use instead. For web images: WebP is the practical choice — supported everywhere, 25-35% smaller than JPEG. AVIF offers better compression but slower encoding. For professional archival: JPEG XL is worth considering if your workflow stays within tools that support it (Adobe suite, GIMP).

Bottom line: JPEG XL is not dead as a format, but it is effectively dead as a web standard until Chrome reconsiders. Use WebP or AVIF for websites. Keep an eye on JPEG XL for non-web uses.

Frequently asked questions

Will Chrome ever add JPEG XL back?

Unclear. There is an open Chromium issue with thousands of comments requesting it. Google has not committed to re-adding support. Political and commercial factors (WebP is Google's format) complicate the decision.

Can I use JPEG XL on my website today?

Only for Safari users (about 20% of web traffic globally, higher on mobile). You would need to serve JPEG XL with a JPEG or WebP fallback via the Accept header or picture element. For most sites, this complexity is not worth it yet.

Is AVIF a better alternative than JPEG XL?

For web use, yes — AVIF is supported in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. AVIF has better compression than WebP but slower encoding. For archival and professional use, JPEG XL is technically superior due to lossless JPEG recompression and progressive decoding.

Does JPEG XL replace JPEG?

It was designed to, but without Chrome support it cannot. JPEG XL can losslessly transcode existing JPEG files (something no other format offers), which was meant to enable a gradual migration. That migration is stalled.

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