Three formats, very different use cases. Here's a plain-English guide to when to use each — and which one Indian government portals actually accept.
| Feature | JPEG | PNG | WebP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transparency | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless | Both |
| File size | Small | Large | Smallest |
| Govt portal support | ✅ Universal | Partial | ❌ Rarely accepted |
| Best for | Photos, IDs | Logos, UI | Web images |
JPEG uses lossy compression — it discards some data to shrink the file. For photographs this is nearly invisible below 80% quality. JPEG does not support transparency. It is the only format accepted by most Indian government exam portals (IBPS, SBI, RBI, SSC, UPSC).
Use JPEG when: uploading to any government portal, sending photos by email, or whenever file size matters.
PNG stores every pixel exactly — no quality loss when saving. It supports transparency (alpha channel), making it ideal for logos, icons, diagrams and screenshots. Downside: PNG files are typically 3–5× larger than an equivalent JPEG.
Use PNG when: you need transparency, your image has text or sharp lines, or you will be editing and re-saving the file multiple times.
Google's WebP provides 25–35% smaller files than JPEG at the same quality, and supports transparency. However, most government portals, older software and Windows Photo Viewer do not accept WebP.
Use WebP when: uploading images to your own website. Convert to JPG before uploading to any government or institutional portal.
🖼️ WebP to JPG 🔄 JPG to PNG| Portal | Accepted Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IBPS PO / Clerk | JPEG only | 413×531 px, 20–50KB |
| SBI PO / Clerk | JPEG only | 390×490 px, 20–50KB |
| RBI Grade B | JPEG only | 350×350 px, under 50KB |
| UPSC | JPEG only | 240×320 px, under 40KB |
| SSC | JPEG only | 300×300 px, under 50KB |
| NABARD | JPEG only | Similar to IBPS specs |
The pattern is clear — every major Indian government exam portal accepts only JPEG. If you have a PNG photo from your phone's camera app or a WEBP downloaded from the web, you must convert it to JPEG before uploading using the format converters.