A Deep-Dive into JPEG XL (JXL)
Reviewing the capabilities, lossy/lossless modes, and browser support status of JPEG XL.
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Naushad Alam
Contributing Author · Squoosh Next BlogJPEG XL was designed by the JPEG Committee to replace original JPEG across all its use cases: photographic lossy compression, lossless, and animated images. Its most remarkable property is lossless JPEG transcoding — a JPEG file can be repackaged as JXL without any decode/re-encode cycle, saving approximately 20% additional size while enabling perfect JPEG reconstruction from the JXL container. In lossy mode, JXL achieves comparable quality to AVIF at slightly faster decode speeds.
Its progressive rendering model adapts to network conditions better than any prior format. Browser support as of mid-2026 is available in Chrome and Firefox with flags, and native in Safari Technology Preview. Production deployment should still provide AVIF and WebP fallbacks via picture elements.
Key Takeaways
JPEG XL was designed by the JPEG Committee to replace original JPEG across all its use cases: photographic lossy compression, lossless, and animated images.
Its most remarkable property is lossless JPEG transcoding — a JPEG file can be repackaged as JXL without any decode/re-encode cycle, saving approximately 20% additional size while enabling perfect JPEG reconstruction from the JXL container.
In lossy mode, JXL achieves comparable quality to AVIF at slightly faster decode speeds.
Its progressive rendering model adapts to network conditions better than any prior format.
Try It in the Workspace
Everything discussed in this article can be tested directly in Squoosh Next — no sign-up, no upload, 100% client-side.