JPG XL support in Windows 11 could give a new lease of life to a file format that's struggling to gain a foothold.
In just a few lines, the Windows Latest site has outlined a small change for Microsoft and its Windows 11 operating system. No doubt you're all familiar with the JPG file format. Short for Joint Photographic Experts Group, it's also known as JPEG and, as Wikipedia explains, it " defines the recording format and decoding algorithm for a compressed digital representation of a still image ". Less encyclopedically and a little more trivially, it's one of the preferred formats for storing and displaying digital images in computing.
Windows Latest
Popularized in the early 90s, JPEG is widely used, and few formats are as popular as it. Yet numerous attempts have been made to evolve it and, why not, even replace it. None of these announced successors has succeeded, and the case of JPEG XL is a perfect example, as this new format was launched in December 2020 without really moving the crowds. In fact, we're pretty sure that many of you have never heard of it. This may change soon, however, thanks to a change made by Microsoft to Windows 11.
© Windows Latest
So, as Windows Latest explains, Windows 11 now supports this file format and, with it, its very high compression ratio, while maintaining beautiful image quality. In its tests, Windows Latest explains that a JPG image lost 47.9% of its weight when converted to JPEG XL (.jxl), while retaining good image quality. Activation of this support on Windows 11 is via the Microsoft Store. There, simply search for "JPEG XL" or "JXL": the "JPEG XL Image Extension" application should then appear, enabling this support. Please note, however, that this extension requires you to have upgraded to Windows 11 version 24H2.
