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Squoosh is a free, open-source image compressor that runs in your web browser. It is maintained in the GoogleChromeLabs open-source project and is available at squoosh.app. Its defining feature is local image processing: the README says your image is compressed on your device rather than uploaded to a server. That makes it useful for game screenshots, concept art, UI assets, and other files you do not want to hand to an online service.
It is not a magic “best compression” button. Squoosh lets you compare codecs, quality settings, dimensions, visual fidelity, transparency needs, and delivery compatibility so you can choose an output deliberately. The sections below show how to do that, what the privacy statement actually covers, and when WebP, AVIF, JPEG, or PNG makes sense.
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What Squoosh is—and what “Google tool” means
Squoosh began at Chrome Dev Summit in 2018 and is maintained as open-source software in the GoogleChromeLabs project. The project is licensed under Apache-2.0. The browser application is free to use; it is not a paid Google storage product, a subscription, or a physical image-compression device.
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Calling it a Google tool describes its project home and history, not a promise that every image is sent to Google infrastructure. The application is delivered as a web app, while its encoders and decoders run in your browser. The most important practical distinction is between the place where the software is downloaded and the place where your image is processed.
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Is Squoosh safe for private images?
Image processing happens locally
The Squoosh README states that it “does not send your image to a server” and that all image-compression processes occur locally. In normal browser use, the selected file is decoded, transformed, and encoded on your device. This is why Squoosh can be appropriate for unpublished game builds, client artwork, personal photos, or screenshots containing information you would not upload to a third party.
Analytics are a separate issue
The same README discloses Google Analytics collection of basic visitor data and the before-and-after image-size value. For the progressive web app (PWA), it also describes collecting the installation type and installation time and date. Those measurements are not the image file itself, but they are still usage data. “Local compression” therefore means the image-processing step is local; it does not mean the page is entirely free of telemetry.
How to use that distinction
- For ordinary screenshots and exported art, the local-processing design avoids the usual upload step.
- For work subject to a company security policy, check whether browser analytics or installing a PWA is permitted, even when the source file stays on the device.
- Keep the original file until you have opened and checked the downloaded result. Local processing protects the transfer path, but it does not replace your own backup and access controls.
How Squoosh reduces an image
Squoosh separates the decisions that are often hidden behind a one-click optimizer. You choose an output codec, a quality or compression setting, and, when appropriate, a new image size. You then compare the original and result in the interface before downloading.
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Lossless compression preserves the decoded image while looking for a more efficient representation. It is the appropriate starting point for pixel-precise material such as interface graphics, diagrams, or source files where every pixel matters. Lossy compression deliberately discards information that is less noticeable at a chosen quality level. It generally produces smaller files, but the result must be judged visually at the size and viewing distance your audience will use.
A smaller number on a quality control is not automatically better. A useful target is the smallest file that still preserves the details that matter: text in a game screenshot, thin lines in a map, facial detail in a character render, or clean edges around a logo. Squoosh makes this trade-off visible by showing the output size and a side-by-side or split comparison.
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WebAssembly makes more codecs available
Squoosh v2 uses WebAssembly encoder and decoder modules so the app can expose newer codecs even when a browser does not natively support them. The v2 announcement lists OxiPNG, MozJPEG, WebP, and AVIF, alongside codecs supported natively by the browser. The result is a consistent place to experiment rather than a guarantee that every browser or delivery system can display every file you create.
Choosing JPEG, PNG, WebP, or AVIF
Choose by the image’s visual content and the way it will be delivered. The most useful comparison axes are output format, lossy or lossless behavior, quality at a target file size, transparency support, and browser or platform compatibility.
| Format or encoder | Use it when | Compression decision | Compatibility and transparency questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPEG / MozJPEG | Photographic screenshots, painted scenes, and other images with continuous-tone detail | Usually a lossy quality trade-off; inspect text, gradients, and fine textures for ringing or block-like artifacts | JPEG is broadly supported but does not provide an alpha channel; confirm that your delivery target accepts JPEG |
| PNG / OxiPNG | Pixel-precise UI art, diagrams, sprites, and images that need lossless output | Lossless compression can reduce file size without changing decoded pixels, but a photographic PNG may remain large | PNG supports transparency and has very broad browser support |
| WebP | Web delivery when you want a modern format with lossy or lossless options | Compare quality and size against your current JPEG or PNG rather than assuming one setting fits every asset | WebP supports transparency; check the browsers, engines, and publishing tools used by your audience |
| AVIF | Very size-sensitive delivery where your playback, browser, and asset pipeline support it | Test carefully at the quality level you need; visually similar results can have different encode and decode behavior | AVIF supports transparency, but compatibility is more dependent on the target environment than PNG or JPEG |
The table is a decision guide, not a ranking. A game launcher that controls its runtime can accept a different format from a public web page, an embedded forum post, or a documentation site with older browsers. Keep a fallback when the audience or platform cannot be guaranteed.
How to compress an image in Squoosh
- Open the app. Go to squoosh.app and select an image or drag it into the page. The file is prepared in the browser.
- Inspect the comparison view. Move the divider or use the before-and-after controls to locate the details that must survive compression. Zoom into small text, high-contrast edges, gradients, and transparent boundaries.
- Select an output codec. Start with JPEG or MozJPEG for a photographic image, PNG or OxiPNG for pixel-precise lossless work, and then test WebP or AVIF if your delivery environment supports them.
- Set the quality or compression level. Lower quality usually reduces bytes but increases visible damage. Change one control at a time so you can tell which setting caused a difference.
- Resize when the display size allows it. A 4K capture displayed in a small article column contains pixels the reader never sees. Reducing dimensions can save more data than aggressively lowering quality, but keep an original master for later crops or higher-resolution use.
- Check the resulting file size and image. The useful result is not merely the smallest number. Confirm that lettering remains readable, gradients remain smooth, and transparency still works where required.
- Download the result and test it in its destination. Open the downloaded file in the game tool, website, launcher, or documentation system that will use it. Some pipelines reject newer extensions or silently convert them.
Interface labels and available controls can change as the open-source project evolves. The durable workflow is to compare the preview, the measured output size, and the destination’s compatibility rather than relying on a remembered slider value.
How to compress without visibly losing quality
Start with the image’s failure points
For a game screenshot, inspect HUD text, inventory icons, foliage, and dark gradients. For concept art, inspect hair, smoke, and soft shadows. For a sprite sheet or interface panel, inspect one-pixel borders and transparent corners. The setting that looks excellent on a landscape screenshot can damage a sprite or small text asset.
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Use a two-stage decision
- Choose dimensions that match the largest actual display size.
- Choose the codec and quality that preserve the important details at those dimensions.
This avoids using quality reduction to compensate for oversized source dimensions. It also makes comparisons fair: judge files at the same displayed size before deciding which is better.
Understand the documented auto-compression feature
The Squoosh v2 announcement describes an auto-compression mode that tries to lower quality without degrading visual fidelity, using the Butteraugli metric. That is a documented feature description from the 2020 v2 release, not a promise that the same control or behavior is unchanged today. If your current interface exposes it, treat the result as a starting point and inspect the image yourself; verify current command-line and interface availability before building a production process around it.
WebP or AVIF: which should you choose?
Use WebP when you want a modern web format with a comparatively established delivery path and need either lossy or lossless output. Test AVIF when reducing transfer size is especially important and you control, or have verified, the browsers and tools that will consume it. Neither choice is universally superior: the winning file is the one that meets your visual-quality threshold, transparency requirement, and compatibility constraints at the lowest practical size.
For a public game-news page, a sensible process is to create a modern candidate and a broadly compatible fallback, then select between them in the publishing layer. For a private launcher or a controlled in-game asset pipeline, you can usually make a narrower compatibility decision after testing the exact engines and versions in use.
Can Squoosh compress images from the command line?
Squoosh v2 added a command-line interface (CLI). The announcement says the CLI uses the same WebAssembly modules as the PWA, processes images in parallel with workers, and can compress to multiple formats for an HTML <picture> workflow. That makes it suitable in principle for repeatable builds, generated screenshots, and producing several delivery formats from one source.
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Command-line packaging and installation instructions are tooling-dependent. Because project commands can change, verify the current CLI documentation and package details in the project before copying an old installation command into a build server. The important design choices remain the same as in the browser: define target dimensions, select codecs, set quality limits, preserve an original, and test the generated files where they will be displayed.
A multi-format publishing pattern can look like this in your own HTML, with the actual files produced by your build process:
<picture>
<source type="image/avif" srcset="hero.avif">
<source type="image/webp" srcset="hero.webp">
<img src="hero.jpg" alt="Game scene">
</picture>The fallback is not an endorsement of a particular format order. Match the order and files to the browsers and asset pipeline you have tested.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Practical workflows for video-game images
News screenshots and capture galleries
Keep the untouched capture as an archive, then resize copies to the largest width your site actually displays. Compare JPEG, WebP, and AVIF candidates on dark scenes, bright UI text, and gradients. If older readers or syndication tools are part of the audience, retain a broadly compatible fallback.
Transparent interface art and sprites
Begin with a lossless option such as PNG/OxiPNG when exact edges and alpha transparency matter. Test WebP or AVIF only after opening the result in the game engine or tool that will load it. A file that looks correct in the browser can still fail if the downstream importer does not accept its extension or alpha behavior.
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Concept art and promotional renders
Photographic or painted material usually benefits from a lossy comparison. Inspect skin, smoke, hair, and smooth gradients at the final display size, then select the smallest file that does not introduce distracting artifacts. Store a high-quality master separately so later crops do not begin from an already compressed copy.
Troubleshooting common problems
- The file is still too large: check dimensions before pushing quality lower, then compare another codec. Oversized source pixels often dominate the result.
- Text or UI edges look damaged: raise quality, switch to a lossless workflow, or keep the original dimensions. Small high-contrast details expose lossy artifacts quickly.
- Transparency disappeared: confirm that the selected format and the destination support alpha; JPEG is not an alpha-capable choice.
- The downloaded format will not open in the target tool: use a format that tool supports or provide a fallback. Browser decoding and game-engine or CMS decoding are separate compatibility questions.
- You are worried about confidentiality: rely on the README’s local-processing statement for the compression step, but account for the separately disclosed analytics and any organizational browser policy.
- A remembered CLI command fails: consult the current project documentation. The v2 announcement confirms a CLI existed, but package names and installation steps can change.
When Squoosh is the right tool—and when it is not
Squoosh is a strong fit for an individual who wants visual control, local processing, and quick comparisons without installing a desktop editor. It is also useful for a developer deciding which format to place in a web build. Its interactive design is less suitable when a team needs unattended batch conversion, centralized policy enforcement, storage integration, or an image-delivery network. In those cases, use Squoosh to establish and validate settings, then choose a separately verified automation or delivery system that meets your operational requirements.
There is no honest “Squoosh product” shopping category to add to the workflow: Squoosh is software, not a camera accessory, storage device, or physical compression tool. The value is the browser application, its open-source codecs, and the ability to see the quality-size trade-off before committing a file.
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Use Squoosh when you need a free browser compressor that keeps image processing on your device and lets you make an informed codec decision. Preserve originals, compare at the final display size, and choose JPEG, PNG, WebP, or AVIF according to the image, transparency needs, and actual delivery compatibility. For repeatable builds, the v2 project documents a CLI and multi-format output, but verify the current tooling before automating it.
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