1. Compatibility: Make files work everywhere
Not every format works on every device. iPhone photos default to HEIC—a format Windows, Android, and many web apps can't open natively. Your camera might shoot RAW files that only professional software recognises. A colleague sends a .pages or .docx file you can't open.
Converting to universal formats like JPG, PNG, or PDF ensures your files open anywhere—no special software, no "update your app" prompts, no frustrated recipients.
2. Performance: Speed up your website
File size directly impacts load time. A 5 MB PNG that could be a 200 KB WebP wastes bandwidth, slows your site, and hurts your Core Web Vitals—the metrics Google uses to rank pages. Slower sites rank lower.
Modern formats like WebP and AVIF deliver the same visual quality at a fraction of the file size. Converting your images can reduce page weight by 70-90%, improving both SEO and user experience.
Even for non-web use, smaller files mean faster email attachments, quicker cloud sync, and less storage consumed on phones and drives.
3. Quality preservation: Convert the right way
Every time you save a lossy format (JPG, WebP), you lose a tiny bit of quality. Converting a JPG to another JPG compounds this loss. The solution? Convert from the highest-quality source you have.
If you have the original PNG, RAW, or HEIC, convert from that—not from a JPG someone already compressed. And when you need transparency, don't flatten to JPG; use PNG, WebP, or AVIF.
Understanding when to use lossy (smaller, acceptable quality loss) vs lossless (larger, pixel-perfect) formats prevents unnecessary degradation.
4. Archival: Preserve files for the long term
Proprietary formats risk becoming unreadable as software changes. A Word document from 2003 might not render correctly today. For legal, medical, or historical records, you need formats designed for permanence.
PDF/A is the ISO standard for archival documents—self-contained, font-embedded, and guaranteed readable for decades. Converting contracts, invoices, and compliance documents to PDF/A protects them against software obsolescence.
For images, TIFF and PNG offer lossless preservation when you need to retain every pixel of the original.
5. Privacy: Strip metadata before sharing
Photos carry hidden data: GPS coordinates, camera serial numbers, timestamps, even your editing software. When you post a photo online or send it to a stranger, this metadata travels with it.
Converting or re-exporting images gives you a chance to strip this data. A fresh JPG or PNG from a properly configured converter contains only the pixels—no location history, no device fingerprints.
This isn't paranoia; it's basic digital hygiene. Real estate photos can reveal seller addresses. Personal photos can expose travel patterns. Strip metadata before it becomes a problem.
6. Professional requirements: Deliver what's requested
Clients, printers, and platforms have format requirements. A print shop might require 300 DPI TIFF files. A web platform might only accept JPG under 2 MB. A legal filing might demand PDF/A compliance.
When someone specifies a format, they usually have a reason—compatibility with their workflow, compliance with regulations, or downstream processing requirements. Converting to spec saves back-and-forth and demonstrates professionalism.
7. Audio & video: Convert media formats
Audio has its own compatibility and portability challenges. M4B audiobooks from Audible don't play on all devices. FLAC files are too large for portable players with limited storage. A podcast recorded in WAV needs to become MP3 for distribution.
Common audio conversion use cases:
- Audiobook portability: M4B to MP3 or OGG for devices that don't support Apple's format
- Podcast production: WAV to MP3 for distribution, keeping file sizes manageable
- Archive preservation: Converting lossy formats to lossless (or vice versa) based on storage needs
- Video-to-audio extraction: Pull the audio track from MP4, MOV, or WebM video files
Audio conversion also preserves or transfers metadata like chapter markers, album art, and ID3 tags—essential for audiobooks and music libraries.
The Bottom Line
File conversion is about solving problems:
- Can't open it? Convert to a universal format.
- Too slow? Convert to a smaller, modern format.
- Quality degrading? Convert from the highest-quality source.
- Need it to last? Convert to an archival format.
- Privacy concern? Re-export to strip metadata.
- Spec required? Convert to meet the requirement.
The right format for the job depends on your use case. When in doubt, start with the highest quality source you have.