Frequently asked questions
Short answers to what people ask most. If your question is about a failed save, start with what to check when saving is not working.
Formats
Which formats can I save to? PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, BMP, PDF and AVIF.
Why don’t I see AVIF? Your version of Chrome can’t encode AVIF, so the option is hidden instead of producing a broken file. After a browser update it can appear on its own.
Does a GIF keep its animation? If the original is already a GIF and you save it as GIF, the original file is kept as is, animation included. Converting an animated picture to another format, or another format to GIF, gives you a single still frame.
What does PDF give me? A one-page PDF containing the picture. It is handy for attaching to forms or printing, not for building multi-page documents.
Is the original file ever modified? No. The extension always writes a new file. The page and the original picture stay untouched.
Quality and size
Which formats use the quality slider? JPG, WebP, AVIF and PDF. PNG, GIF and BMP are written without a lossy step, so the slider doesn’t apply.
What value should I use? 85 is the default and works for most photos. Drop to 70–75 when file size matters more than detail. Go above 90 for pictures with small text.
Is there a size limit? Very large pictures can fail with a “too large” message. That happens past what the browser can draw at once, which in practice means pictures tens of thousands of pixels wide or source files over 250 MB.
Files and folders
Where does the file go? Chrome’s downloads folder, unless you turn on Ask where to save in the popup.
What if a file with that name already exists? Chrome adds a number to the new name. Nothing is overwritten.
Which characters can I use in the name?
Anything your system allows. Characters that folders reject, such as /, : or ?, are replaced automatically.
Privacy and access
Does the extension upload my pictures? No. Decoding and encoding happen inside Chrome on your device.
Why does it need access to all sites? Pictures live on every kind of site, and some servers refuse a direct download. In that case the extension reads the picture through the page you already have open. It only does this for the picture you right-clicked. Details are in the Privacy Policy.
Is there an account or sign-in? No. Settings are stored in your Chrome profile.
Browsers
Does it work in Firefox? No. Save Image as Type is a Chrome extension and installs from the Chrome Web Store.