How to Change GIF to PNG on Mac
GIF can animate and has simple on/off transparency, but each frame is limited to 256 colours, which makes photos look grainy and banded.. Add your GIF file to the box below and it turns into a PNG instantly, on your own Mac, without anything being uploaded.
Drop GIF files here or browse
Accepts HEIC, WebP, PNG, JPG, BMP, GIF and SVG · multiple files · nothing is uploaded
Converted on your device. Your photos never leave your browser.
The steps: Change GIF to PNG on Mac
- 1
Open this page in Safari, Chrome or Firefox on your Mac.
- 2
Drag the file out of Finder onto the box above, or click the box to choose it.
- 3
Your PNG is ready the moment the file is added.
- 4
Click Download. You'll find the file in your Downloads folder (in Finder or on the Dock).
What happens to your image going from GIF to PNG
- For an animated GIF, only the first frame is converted, so you get a still image.
GIF vs PNG in brief
- GIF can animate and has simple on/off transparency, but each frame is limited to 256 colours, which makes photos look grainy and banded.
- PNG is lossless, meaning every pixel is stored exactly, and it supports full transparency. That suits screenshots, logos and graphics perfectly, but a photo saved as PNG is often several times larger than the same shot as a JPG.
Mac tips
- macOS has its own shortcut as well: select images in Finder, right-click › Quick Actions › Convert Image (macOS 12 or newer) to get JPEG, PNG or HEIF. It can't output WebP and doesn't preview the quality.
- It runs the same on Apple silicon and Intel Macs, with nothing to get from the App Store.
GIF vs PNG
| GIF | PNG | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless, capped at 256 colours | Lossless |
| Transparency | On or off only (no soft edges) | Yes, with a full alpha channel |
| Animation | Yes | No (editors rarely support APNG) |
| Ideal for | Short loops and simple graphics | Screenshots, logos and graphics with text or see-through areas |
| Works on | Everywhere | Everywhere |
Questions & answers
Does changing GIF to PNG lower the quality?
No more quality is lost, because PNG is lossless. Your PNG matches the GIF exactly.
Can I do a whole batch of GIF files?
Yes. Add as many as you want; each is converted separately, and Download all bundles them into a single ZIP.
Do my photos get sent anywhere?
No. Your browser does the conversion with your device's own processor, so your photos stay with you. Once the page has loaded you could even switch off your internet connection.
Where do I find the converted file on my Mac?
Click Download. You'll find the file in your Downloads folder (in Finder or on the Dock).
Need more options? Open the full Image Converter tool →