How to open .AVIF files (AV1 images) on Android, Windows and Linux

AVIF is the newest image format most people run into, usually without meaning to. Websites serve it to save bandwidth, so saving a picture can leave you with photo.avif. Then an older app, an upload form or a freshly set-up Windows PC says it can’t open it.

Folders shows AVIF pictures in its image viewer on recent Android phones, and on Android, Windows and Linux it can turn them into JPG or PNG copies that open anywhere, provided the system can read AVIF. Here’s what the format is, how to open it, and what to do when your device doesn’t support it yet.

What is an .AVIF file?

AVIF stands for AV1 Image File Format. It comes from the Alliance for Open Media, a group whose members include Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, Netflix and Apple, and it stores a picture compressed with AV1, the royalty-free video codec the same group developed. The container around it is HEIF, the same structure iPhones use for HEIC photos; what differs is the compression inside.

What it brings:

• Small files. At similar quality an AVIF is usually much smaller than a JPEG, and often smaller than a WebP.
• Transparency, like PNG.
• More colour depth and HDR. 10- and 12-bit colour gives smooth skies without banding, and bright highlights on HDR screens.
• Animation, though few AVIFs use it.

The catch is age. Making an AVIF takes far more computing than making a JPEG, and support arrived only recently: Android reads AVIF from version 12, and on Windows some apps need Microsoft’s AV1 Video Extension from the Microsoft Store before they can show it.

	AVIF	HEIC	WebP
Compression	AV1	HEVC (H.265)	VP8
Royalty-free	yes	no	yes
Transparency	yes	yes	yes
Where you meet it	websites	iPhone photos	websites, stickers

How to open an .AVIF file with Folders

Android

1. Install Folders from the download page and allow access to your files.
2. Saved web images go to Download. Type *.avif in the search box to list every one under the folder you’re in.
3. Tap the file. On Android 12 or newer it opens in the image viewer. From a browser’s download list you can also use Open with → Folders.

Windows and Linux

1. Install Folders and browse to the file. On Windows, File Explorer’s right-click Open with menu also lists Folders for AVIF.
2. On a computer, Folders’ viewer may not be able to show AVIF itself. If it says the format isn’t supported on this device, use Open with another app right there (any current browser shows AVIF), or make a JPG or PNG copy as described below.

What you can do with an AVIF in Folders

• View it on Android 12 and newer: zoom, swipe between pictures, Details, Share, Open with another app.
• Convert to JPG or PNG. Select one or many AVIF files and choose Convert to ▸ JPEG or PNG; the copies land beside the originals. JPEG drops transparency (see-through areas turn white), PNG keeps it. On Android this uses the phone’s own AVIF support. On Windows, Folders reads the AVIF through Microsoft’s AV1 Video Extension if it’s installed, or through FFmpeg; on Linux, through FFmpeg.
• Make AVIF files on Windows and Linux. Select JPGs or PNGs and choose Convert to ▸ AVIF for very small copies, for a website for example. Folders uses FFmpeg for this and offers to download it the first time. Android can’t write AVIF yet, so the option isn’t available on phones.
• Resize… makes smaller copies.

Other ways to open .AVIF files

• Chrome, Firefox, Edge and other current browsers: drag the file into a tab.
• Windows: the Photos app, once Microsoft’s free AV1 Video Extension is installed.
• Linux and Windows: recent versions of GIMP open and export AVIF.
• Android: Google Photos and current gallery apps on Android 12 and newer.

Problems opening an .AVIF file?

“This image format isn’t supported on this device.” The viewer can’t decode AVIF on this device, which happens on Android versions older than 12 and can happen on a computer. Open it in a browser instead. On an older phone, convert it on a computer, or ask the sender for a JPG.

On a computer, the conversion says it can’t read the picture. Folders needs Microsoft’s AV1 Video Extension (Windows) or FFmpeg (Windows and Linux) to read AVIF. Install the extension from the Microsoft Store, or let Folders download FFmpeg by making a WebP or AVIF copy of any picture once.

An upload form rejects it. Many forms still accept only JPG and PNG. Use Convert to ▸ JPEG.

Colours look flat or washed out. HDR AVIFs can look dull on an ordinary screen or in apps that don’t handle HDR. That’s the display, not a broken file.

Questions people ask

How do I convert AVIF to JPG? Select the files in Folders and choose Convert to ▸ JPEG. On Android 12 and newer it works offline with the phone’s own decoder; on a computer, see the notes above.

Can I open an .avif file on Android? Yes, on Android 12 and newer: Folders shows it in its image viewer. Older versions of Android have no AVIF support built in.

AVIF vs WebP: which is better? AVIF usually makes smaller files at the same quality and handles HDR; WebP is older, quicker to create and opens in more software.

AVIF vs HEIC: what’s the difference? Same container, different compression. HEIC uses HEVC, which is patent-licensed; AVIF uses the royalty-free AV1, a big reason Chrome and Firefox show AVIF but not HEIC.

For iPhone photos, see how to open HEIC photos; for the older web format, the WebP guide. Or browse all 382 file types Folders opens.