PNG to GIF Converter

Convert PNG images into GIF files for tools that require the classic format. Free in your browser — no sign-up, no watermarks.

Drop your PNG files here

or click to browse — Select multiple files for batch conversion

png

⚡ Instant — conversion starts the moment you add files. No sign-up, no watermarks. Why FileHugger

🔍 How your file is processed

Runs: In your browser on this page
Engine: Your browser's own image decoder and canvas encoders (AVIF included); HEIC decodes via a bundled JavaScript decoder (Emscripten-compiled libheif); GIF, BMP and ICO are written by our own encoders
Max input: 512 MB per file
Your file: Processed in this browser tab — the file is not uploaded. Converted results are kept in this browser's local storage for up to two hours so their matching download page can show them; expired results are removed on the next site visit. Nothing is stored on our servers.
Good to know: Converting to JPG or lossy WebP applies the quality level you choose. JPG and BMP have no transparency, and our GIF encoder does not carry transparency either — transparent areas are flattened to the background for all three. Animated GIF input is read as its first frame.

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How to convert PNG to GIF

Click Choose files (or drag & drop) and select one or more PNG files. You can also paste an image from your clipboard.
No settings needed for this conversion — the defaults handle everything.
Press Convert to GIF. Each file is converted with a live progress indicator.
Open the download page to save your files individually or grab everything as a single ZIP.

Why convert PNG to GIF?

Some chat apps, forums, e-ink devices and legacy systems only accept GIF. This converter quantizes your PNG to the GIF 256-color palette with a quality-preserving algorithm, producing a compliant single-frame GIF. Fine detail in photos may show slight banding — an inherent property of the GIF format.

What this tool preserves — and what it changes

✓ Preserved

Exact colors whenever the PNG already uses 256 or fewer unique colors — the encoder builds the palette from the actual pixels instead of quantizing
Dimensions — no resizing or cropping happens

↺ Changed

Images with more colors are reduced to a 256-color median-cut palette with no dithering — smooth gradients and photos show banding
Transparency is flattened onto white — our GIF encoder writes fully opaque files

Known limits & edge cases

The output is a single-frame GIF89a — this tool cannot create animations
An animated PNG (APNG) contributes only its first frame

Engine: Your browser's own image decoder and canvas encoders (AVIF included); HEIC decodes via a bundled JavaScript decoder (Emscripten-compiled libheif); GIF, BMP and ICO are written by our own encoders. These statements describe the engine as shipped on 2026-10-02 — behaviour changes are recorded in the changelog.

About the formats

What is a PNG file?

PNG is a lossless image format that preserves every pixel exactly as it was saved. It supports full alpha transparency, which makes it the standard for logos, icons, screenshots and any graphic that must keep sharp edges and clean text. PNG files are larger than JPG for photos, but they never lose quality no matter how many times they are re-saved.

What is a GIF file?

GIF is one of the oldest image formats still in daily use. It is limited to a palette of 256 colors and supports simple frame-based animation, which made it the format of memes and short looping clips. For still images its color limit shows visible banding on photos, so converting GIFs to JPG or PNG — or building a GIF from a still image — is a very common task.

PNG vs GIF at a glance

	PNG	GIF
Type	Raster image	Raster image
Compression	Lossless	Lossless (256 colors max)
Transparency	Yes (alpha)	Yes (1-bit)
Animation	No	Yes
Typical use	Logos, screenshots, graphics with text	Memes, simple animations, stickers

Why anyone still needs a GIF in the WebP era

Because some destinations accept nothing else. Legacy forum software, old CMS avatar uploaders, embedded-device interfaces, signage players and ancient email templates often whitelist exactly one graphics format with transparency: GIF. This converter produces a standards-compliant GIF89a that such systems accept without complaint, encoded with a proper palette rather than a lazy color cut.

Know the format’s hard limits before you convert. GIF stores at most 256 colors, so photographs and smooth gradients will visibly band — it shines with flat-color artwork, logos, diagrams and pixel graphics, where the palette limit costs nothing. Transparency becomes binary: each pixel is either fully opaque or fully transparent, so soft PNG edges are hardened. For anything headed to a modern browser instead of a legacy system, PNG→WebP is the better move.

Frequently asked questions

Is this PNG to GIF converter free?

Yes — completely free, with no sign-up, no watermarks and no daily quota. Processing happens in this browser, so the practical limit is the memory available on your device.

Can I convert multiple PNG files at once?

Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like — each one is converted in sequence with its own progress status, and you can download the results individually or all together as a ZIP archive.

Will I lose quality converting PNG to GIF?

No — GIF is a lossless format, so the converted file reproduces the decoded image pixel for pixel. No additional compression artifacts are introduced by the conversion.

Why does my photo look slightly grainy as GIF?

GIF is limited to 256 colors per image by design. The converter picks the best-fitting palette for your image, which is perfect for graphics and logos; smooth photographic gradients may show mild banding — an inherent property of the format, not a flaw in the conversion.