Converting all shop images to .webp image format

Shopify Discussion
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Topic summary

A store owner converted images to .webp format using Avada SEO Suite but noticed files still appeared in their original format in Shopify’s content/files section.

Avada’s Explanation:

  • Shopify automatically serves the original image (JPEG) when requested width exceeds the original size
  • WebP versions are served only when the requested width is smaller than the original
  • This is Shopify’s built-in mechanism, not an error

Resolution:
The original poster discovered that images are actually being served as .webp to browsers that support the format, even though filenames retain their original extensions. The actual file type can only be verified by checking the Network tab in browser Developer Tools, which confirms the content-type as webp.

Status: Resolved - the optimization is working as intended, though the implementation is somewhat confusing since filenames don’t reflect the actual format being served to end users.

Summarized with AI on November 2. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
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I have decided to convert all of my images to .webp format and have used the Avada SEO Suite’s image optimization to convert the images. After conversion all of my images still show in content>files to be the original format. I have reached out to Aveda and after half a day of working on it they are telling me that it’s a Shopify issue.

Aveda support quote:

“This is not an error, this is Shopify’s mechanism. Shopify’s mechanism works in the following way: when the image width exceeds its original size, the original image is displayed (in JPEG). Conversely, if the width is smaller than the original size, it shows the optimized WebP image.”

They included the following video to demo the issue: https://go.screenpal.com/watch/cTV0fjnfY3v

I have verified that their demo and was able to replicate it, but it didn’t work under every circumstance.

Is this correct? I am not sure what I should do next other than manually convert and re-upload my images.

FYI my Shopify store is at: earthgripcases.com

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Hi @earthgripcases

If you open your website like normal. You can grab the images as a webp. This process is tedious since you have to save the webp file and then upload them again. I do hope that Shopify will add a file change option in the images

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I would just like my images to be served as the smaller .webp format for customers viewing the site.

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Reply to myself, I think I’v figured it out. Images are served as webp when the browser supports them, but the filename remains in the original form. Confusing, but the only way to tell is checking the Networking tab in Dev Tools, it shows the type as webp.

1 Like