WebP Converter 2.6.0 is a Joomla plugin that makes photo files smaller so pages load faster. It turns JPG, JPEG, PNG, and GIF into WebP (and optionally AVIF). Your original photos stay on the server. Visitors still see the picture. The browser just gets a lighter file when it can.

What you need to remember

• After install, you open it here: System > Plugins > System - WebP Converter.
• On a normal visit to your site, the plugin can convert a photo the first time someone loads that page.
• If you want to convert a whole folder in advance, use the Image Management tab (Generate Images).

If this is your first Joomla extension, follow the tabs in order: Download, Installation, then First-time setup.

Step 1: Buy and download

1. Purchase WebP Converter from the JoomlaX store.
2. Open the email, or log in to the store with the same email you used to buy (not the PayPal address if that one is different).
3. Go to Downloads and download WebPConverter_UNZIP.zip.

Keep the license key from that page. You need it only if you use Joomla's update manager later.

Step 2: Unzip on your computer (not in Joomla)

1. On Windows: right-click the file > Extract All. On a Mac: double-click the zip.
2. Open the new folder. You must see exactly two things:
   • plg_system_webpconverter_2.6.0.zip (this is the file Joomla installs)
   • ReadMe.txt

Common mistake: uploading WebPConverter_UNZIP.zip to Joomla. That outer zip is only a wrapper. Also do not unzip the plg_system_... file. Joomla needs that zip as-is.

The screenshot is what you should see later in System > Plugins after a good install: one enabled row named System - WebP Converter.

You need a Joomla login that can install extensions (usually Super User).

Step 1: Open the installer

1. Log in to /administrator.
2. Click System (left menu).
3. Under Install, click Extensions.

Step 2: Upload the plugin zip

1. Click the tab Upload Package File. Do not stay on Install from Web (that is the Joomla directory, not your file).
2. Click Or browse for file and pick plg_system_webpconverter_2.6.0.zip, or drag that zip onto the dashed box.
3. Wait for the green success message.

Step 3: Clear cache

1. System > Maintenance > Clear Cache
2. Select all, then Delete (or Empty Cache, depending on your Joomla version).

Step 4: Find the plugin

1. System > Plugins
2. In the search box type WebP Converter and press Search.
3. If you see "No Matching Results", click Filter Options and set Type to system, then search again.
4. The Status icon must be a green tick. If it is a red circle, click it once to enable.
5. Click the name System - WebP Converter to open settings. Always open it from this list.

If Joomla says the plugin is already installed, that is an update. That is OK. Settings you already saved are kept.

Do this once. You do not need to understand every field yet.

1. Open System > Plugins > System - WebP Converter.
2. On the first tab, Status must be Enabled.
3. Open General Settings.
4. Set Image Format to WebP Only (safest first choice).
5. Leave WebP Quality around 70 to 80.
6. Leave Use Lightweight Processing on Yes.
7. Leave Debug Mode on No (turn Yes only if something fails and you need clues).
8. Leave other switches as they are.
9. Click Save (green button, top left). Wait until Joomla says it saved.
10. Open your public website in a new tab (the homepage is enough if it has photos).
11. Refresh the page once (Ctrl+F5 on Windows, Cmd+Shift+R on a Mac).

How you know it worked

• Photos still look normal.
• Optional check: right-click a photo > Open image in new tab. The address often ends with .webp instead of .jpg or .png.
• Or right-click the page > View page source, then search for .webp.

If photos look the same and you see .webp, you are done for a basic site. Generate Images is optional. Use it when you want folders converted before visitors arrive, or when a very large page did not finish on first load.

Open the plugin, then click the General Settings tab. Click Save after you change anything.

Start here

• Image Format: WebP Only for almost everyone. Choose Both only if you know the hosting can create AVIF files. AVIF Only is for experts.
• WebP Quality: Higher number = nicer picture and larger file. 80 is a good default. Do not set 100 unless you have a reason.
• AVIF Quality: Used only if format includes AVIF. 50 is a good default.
• Use Lightweight Processing: Keep Yes.

Leave these until you need them

• Replace Image URLs Globally: Turn Yes only if Google PageSpeed or sharing previews still show old JPG links after photos on the page already look converted.
• Enable Lazy Loading: Can help long pages. Keep Lazy Load Above-the-Fold Images on No so the top photos load at once.
• WebP Output Directory: Default webp means new files go in images/webp/. Do not change this unless you know you need another folder name.
• Minimum / Maximum file size: Leave 0 unless tiny icons or huge photos should be skipped.
• Filename suffixes: leave empty.

Debug Mode and Show Errors print extra text on the public site. Use them on a test copy of the site, then turn them off.

Skip this tab if you want every JPG and PNG converted. Use it when some photos or pages must stay original (logos, animated GIF, checkout pages).

Easy options

• Exclude Image Formats: Click the box and pick JPG, PNG, or GIF. Example: pick GIF if you have moving GIFs. If you pick JPG, files named .jpeg are skipped too.
• Exclude CSS classes: Default no-webp is fine. On a photo you want to skip, add that class in the article (or ask whoever edits HTML to add class="no-webp").
• Disable on Home Page: Yes only if the home page must not convert.
• Disable for Menu Items: Click the box, type part of the menu name, pick the page.
• Disable for Components: skip conversion on a whole extension (for example a shop). Click the box and pick the name.

Type these yourself, one item per line

• Disable for URLs: part of the web address, for example */checkout
• Exclude Folders: folder name under Images, for example headers (not a full Windows path)
• Exclude Images: file name, for example logo.png

Click Save, clear cache, then refresh the public page. These rules also apply when you click Generate Images.

Use this tab to convert many photos in one go. You still need the plugin enabled. Click Image Management at the top of the plugin screen.

Convert one folder (recommended first test)

1. Under Select Folders, tick one small folder that has a few photos. Root is the whole Images folder. Do not start with Root.
2. If you cannot see your folder, scroll the list and click Load more folders.
3. Next to Generate Images, choose WebP Only.
4. Click Generate Images.
5. Wait until you see 100% and a completed message. Do not close the tab.
6. If it is taking too long, click Stop. Files already made stay. You can run Generate again.

If nothing is ticked, Joomla shows an alert. Tick a folder and try again.

Delete converted files (not originals)

1. Tick the same original folder you generated (example: stories, not only webp).
2. Choose WebP Only, AVIF Only, or Both.
3. Click Delete Converted Images and confirm.
4. Read the count. Original JPG and PNG files are never deleted.

Other buttons on this tab

• Create Converted Image Directories: makes the output folders if they are missing.
• View Statistics: how much space converted files use.
• Cleanup Empty Directories: removes empty leftover folders after a delete.
• Page processing time limit: default 90 seconds. Raise it if a huge homepage stops halfway.

Think of two moments:

1. Someone opens a page. The plugin looks for photos in the HTML. SVG files are ignored. If a WebP (or AVIF) copy already exists, the page is pointed at that copy. If not, the plugin can create the copy during that page load, then point at it, as long as there is enough time and memory.

2. You click Generate Images. The plugin lists photos in the folders you ticked, then converts them one by one while you wait in the administrator.

Where files go: with the default output folder webp, a file images/stories/photo.jpg becomes images/webp/stories/photo.webp. The original photo.jpg stays.

If Image Format is Both, supporting browsers can get AVIF, then WebP, then the original. You do not have to write that HTML yourself.

I uploaded a zip and Joomla did nothing useful

• You must upload plg_system_webpconverter_2.6.0.zip, not the UNZIP wrapper.
• Use the Upload Package File tab.

I cannot find the plugin

• System > Plugins. Type filter = system. Search WebP Converter.
• If the name looks like PLG_SYSTEM_WEBPCONVERTER, reinstall the plugin zip and clear cache.

Photos did not change

• Plugin Status must be Enabled. Click Save.
• Clear Joomla cache, then hard-refresh the public page.
• Photos must live under the site Images folder (usually images/). Remote photos on other websites are not converted.
• Check Exclusion Settings. Home page, menus, folders, or JPG exclusion can skip the file.
• Turn Debug Mode on, reload once, read the message, then turn Debug off and Save.

Generate does nothing / no folders

• Tick at least one folder.
• Click Load more folders if the name is late in the alphabet.
• Stay logged in as an administrator. Do not run Generate in a public (non-admin) window.

Delete did not remove files

• Tick the original folder name, then delete. Check that the result lists real file paths.

Install warning about GD

• Ask hosting to enable the PHP GD extension with WebP. Without it, conversion cannot run.

Do I have to click Generate Images?

No. Visiting pages can convert photos over time. Generate is for converting a folder in one sitting.

Will originals be deleted?

No. Delete Converted Images removes only WebP and/or AVIF copies.

WebP or AVIF?

Start with WebP Only. Use Both later if hosting supports AVIF.

Can I use a CDN?

Yes. After the first conversions, purge the CDN cache so it learns the new file names.

Need help? support.joomlax.com