Is WebP Really Best for WordPress? Converter for Media Review & Guide

Why PNG and JPEG Files Remain When Using Converter for Media

When you see the plugin name “Converter for Media,” do you assume it converts the PNG and JPEG files uploaded to WordPress directly into WebP format and replaces the original files?

I thought the exact same thing at first. However, the actual mechanism is a bit different.

The original images uploaded to WordPress are saved in the regular “uploads” folder just as they are.

Therefore, when you open the WordPress Media Library, a PNG remains a PNG, and a JPEG remains a JPEG.

The URLs of the images inserted into your posts also basically remain the URLs of the original image files.

So, where exactly are the converted WebP images located?

Converted WebP Images Are Saved in a Different Folder by Converter for Media

If you check your server using an FTP client, regular images are saved in folders like this:

Original Image /wp-content/uploads/2026/08/

On the other hand, the WebP images generated by Converter for Media are saved in a separate folder prepared specifically for them:

WebP Image /wp-content/uploads-webpc/uploads/2026/08/

In WordPress, when you upload a single image, it automatically generates images in various sizes specified in the Media Settings or required by your active theme.

Therefore, if you look into the Converter for Media folder, you will see that WebP images corresponding to all those multiple sizes have also been generated.

Where Are Converter for Media’s WebP Images Used?

Converter for Media does not rewrite the image URLs in your posts to WebP URLs.

Instead, when a browser requests an image, if that browser supports WebP, the server automatically delivers the corresponding WebP image instead of the original one.

In other words, the main role of this plugin is not to replace the original images on the server with WebP, but to make the images delivered to your visitors lighter and load faster.

Converter for Media Is Not a Plugin to Reduce Server Storage Space

Now that the mechanism is clear, the answer to my initial question has also become apparent.

Installing Converter for Media does not mean your saved PNG and JPEG images will be completely replaced by WebP, nor will it reduce your server storage space usage.

In fact, it keeps the original images for safety and saves the WebP versions separately.

The Converter for Media official support also states:

“Reducing the number of images saved on the server” and “lightening the images loaded when browsing a website” have completely different purposes.

I had mistakenly thought this plugin could “lighten the image storage within the server itself.”

Why Converted WebP File Sizes Can Sometimes Be Larger

While checking the files on the server, I noticed another interesting thing.

There were instances where the dimensions of the image were smaller, but the actual file size was larger than the original image.

For example, in the PNG image I checked this time, the original file of 768×818 pixels was about 51KB, whereas the auto-generated 672×716 pixel image was about 110KB.

It seems that when an image is resized, it is re-saved as a new image by WordPress’s default image processing function. Depending on the compression method and the image content at that time, the file size can sometimes become larger even if the image dimensions are smaller than the original.

Additionally, Converter for Media has a handy feature that automatically deletes the converted WebP file if it becomes larger than the original image.

Among the files I checked on the server this time, I found the following file:

At first glance, it looks like “only the original-sized WebP wasn’t created.” However, from this “.deleted” file extension, you can tell that the WebP version was deleted because its file size ended up larger than the original image after conversion.

It’s good to remember that converting an image to WebP doesn’t guarantee that every single file will always get smaller.

Why I Decided to Upload WebP Format Initially Instead of Converter for Media

As a result of researching this far, I decided to prepare new images for WordPress in WebP format from the beginning whenever possible.

Tools like PhotoScape X and Screenpresso, which I usually use to create screenshots and explanatory images, allow saving images directly in WebP format.

Therefore, I now save them as WebP at the image creation stage before uploading them.

Since version 5.8, WordPress natively supports uploading and using WebP images by default.

In other words, if you upload in WebP format from the start, you can avoid the duplication of saving an extra set of WebP versions alongside your full set of PNG or JPEG images.

For a site that uses only a few images, it might not feel like a big difference. However, for a site that operates for years and constantly accumulates articles and images, taking this one extra step can significantly reduce the buildup of unnecessary files on your server.

Does This Mean Converter for Media is an Unnecessary Plugin?

Reading this far, you might think, “Then isn’t Converter for Media completely unnecessary?”

However, this varies depending on your site’s situation and how you manage your media.

For sites that have already uploaded a massive amount of PNG and JPEG images to WordPress, Converter for Media is extremely convenient as it can automatically serve them in WebP without manual effort.

Even if you just don’t want to deal with the hassle of converting files to WebP every time you create an image, a plugin that automatically handles the conversion is a huge help.

On the other hand, if you can easily save the images you plan to upload in WebP format yourself, using WebP from the start becomes a highly efficient option.

Both relying on a plugin and preparing WebP images yourself have their own great benefits.

Once you fully understand how it works, please choose the method that best fits your own website and workflow!