Shipping JPEG XL In Chrome

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Google announced that Chrome 155 will ship support for decoding JPEG XL images. The Chrome team says it integrated a Rust decoder and optimized it for performance; the announcement does not specify a release date or say whether other browsers will ship support.

Google says Chrome 155 will add JPEG XL decoding, allowing the browser to display images in the .jxl format. The October 6 announcement says the implementation uses a Rust decoder called jxl-rs, with performance optimizations intended to make the format practical to use in the browser.

The Chrome team described JPEG XL as an image format aimed at web developers and photographers. It said the format offers 30% to 50% better compression than JPEG, as well as lossless compression, built-in HDR support and a way to transcode JPEG images losslessly. These are claims in Google’s announcement; the post does not provide test results or specify the conditions behind the compression comparison.

Google said its decision followed consistent developer feedback, including support for JPEG XL in the Interop process. The team also participated in the Interop 2026 JPEG XL Investigation, which it said was intended to build browser test coverage for the format’s features and check that those tests pass in Chrome.

The browser team chose jxl-rs, a pure Rust JPEG XL decoder, for the integration. Google said it used fuzzing and AI-assisted code review to check the implementation and reported that it had not found memory-safety bugs during its development. That statement describes the team’s findings, not a guarantee that the decoder is free of vulnerabilities.

What Chrome Support Changes

Chrome support gives websites another image format to serve to users of the browser, potentially giving publishers more options for image quality and file size. Google recommends that developers test both JPEG XL and AVIF to find the best fit, rather than treating the new support as a universal replacement for existing formats.

The change also brings a browser security and implementation question into focus. Image decoders handle complex files received from the network, and Google says it used Rust to reduce memory-safety risks in this part of Chrome. The team’s account of its decoder work may be relevant to other browser and software projects weighing performance against security, though it does not establish that Rust eliminates all security risks.

Why Chrome Added JPEG XL

JPEG XL support was not presented as a response to a single technical breakthrough. Google tied the decision to developer requests over multiple years, with the format a popular proposal in the 2026 Interop process. Interoperability matters because a format is more useful to site owners when users can access it across browsers, rather than only in one implementation.

Google described JPEG XL as particularly useful for high-fidelity or lossless photographic images, and for cases where fine-grained progressive decoding is preferred. It also acknowledged AVIF as an option developers should compare. The announcement does not say Chrome will automatically convert existing images, or that websites need to switch formats.

For the decoder, Google said the team built on performance work in libjxl, the C++ reference implementation, while developing Rust components and a SIMD abstraction layer. According to the post, stabilizing Rust’s target-feature support allowed SIMD instructions to be used without unsafe code, while the abstraction layer helped support multiple platforms.

“We are shipping decoding support for the JPEG XL (.jxl) image format starting from Chrome 155.”

— Chrome for Developers

Release Scope and Browser Support

The announcement identifies Chrome 155 as the version that will begin decoding JPEG XL, but it does not give a public release date for that version. It also does not detail rollout plans, platform-by-platform availability, or whether support will be enabled by default for all Chrome users.

Google’s post does not establish when or whether other browsers will ship JPEG XL support. Although the Interop investigation is intended to support cross-browser testing, participation in that work is not the same as a commitment from other browser makers. The compression figures and security statements are also presented without detailed benchmark data or a full account of the testing methods.

Chrome 155 and Developer Testing

The next stated milestone is the arrival of Chrome 155 with JPEG XL decoding. Google encouraged developers, creators and platform owners to try .jxl images and animations in their workflows, report bugs and compare the format with AVIF. The announcement does not provide a separate date for those activities or list a finalized rollout schedule.

As Chrome support becomes available, developers will be able to test how JPEG XL behaves with their assets and site delivery setups. Wider adoption will depend in part on browser interoperability, the results of real-world performance testing and whether the format fits publishers’ requirements for image quality, compatibility and file size.

Key Questions

Which Chrome version will support JPEG XL?

Google says JPEG XL decoding is planned to begin with Chrome 155. The announcement does not give that version’s release date.

Will Chrome create or convert JPEG XL images?

The announcement confirms decoding support, meaning Chrome will be able to display .jxl images. It does not announce browser tools for creating or converting images.

Does Google recommend JPEG XL over AVIF?

No. Google recommends developers try both AVIF and JPEG XL and compare results for their use cases. The post highlights JPEG XL for high-fidelity or lossless photographic images and progressive decoding.

Is JPEG XL support confirmed in other browsers?

The announcement confirms Chrome’s planned support only. Google describes its participation in the Interop 2026 JPEG XL Investigation, but does not say that other browser makers have committed to shipping the format.

Source: hn