AVIF Browser Support 2026: Chrome 85+, Safari 16.1+, Firefox 93+

Last updated: October 1, 2026 — verified against caniuse.com

Quick answer: AVIF is supported in Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, plus Safari 16.1+. Browser support is now 92%+ globally. Older browsers can fall back to WebP or JPG.

Table of Contents

1. Browser Support Table
2. Safari AVIF Support Timeline
3. The Gaps: Who Cannot View AVIF
4. Animated AVIF Support
5. Fallback Implementation
6. AVIF vs WebP vs JPEG
7. Common Questions

The AV1 Image File Format (AVIF) represents the pinnacle of modern image compression. Delivering up to 50% smaller files than WebP and 70% smaller files than JPEG, it has become the standard for performance engineers seeking fast page loads and perfect Google Lighthouse scores.

However, before deploying AVIF across your entire production CDN, you need to understand where browser support stands in 2026 and how to handle users on legacy software.

Browser Support Table

As of 2026, AVIF boasts over 92% global browser adoption (caniuse.com):

Safari AVIF Support: Complete Timeline (2022-2026)

Safari was the last major browser to add AVIF support:

• Safari 16.1 (October 2022) — First AVIF support (macOS Ventura + iOS 16.1)
• Safari 16.4 (March 2023) — Animated AVIF support
• Safari 17 (September 2023) — Full AVIF feature set including 10-bit HDR
• Safari 18 (September 2024) — Performance improvements

Important: If your visitors are on Safari 15 or earlier (iOS 15, macOS Monterey, or older), they CANNOT view AVIF images. Always provide a WebP or JPG fallback.

The Gaps: Who Cannot View AVIF?

While 92%+ coverage is stellar, the remaining ~8% of traffic cannot be ignored: 1. Legacy iOS and macOS Devices: iPhone users stuck on iOS 15 or earlier and Mac users running macOS Monterey or Big Sur cannot render AVIF in Safari. 2. Enterprise Desktop Environments: Corporate workstations running outdated LTS browser builds or legacy web views will display broken image icons if served standalone AVIF files. 3. Email Clients: Native email applications like Microsoft Outlook and older versions of Apple Mail refuse to display inline AVIF attachments.

Animated AVIF Browser Support

Animated AVIF (an ultra-compact alternative to animated GIF and animated WebP) delivers high-fidelity animations at up to 70% smaller file sizes than GIF. However, browser support for animated AVIF has a slightly narrower timeline:

Animated AVIF is supported in Chrome 85+, Firefox 113+, Safari 17+, and Edge 121+. If you are serving animated graphics, ensure your fallback chain includes an animated WebP or optimized GIF fallback for users on older Safari (v16 and below) or legacy Firefox releases.

How to Serve AVIF with a Fallback

To gain the bandwidth advantages of AVIF without breaking your site for visitors on legacy browsers, always wrap your media in semantic <picture> elements:

<picture>
  <!-- Serve AVIF to cutting-edge browsers (smallest file size) -->
  <source srcset="image.avif" type="image/avif">
  <!-- Serve WebP to modern browsers lacking AVIF -->
  <source srcset="image.webp" type="image/webp">
  <!-- Fallback to universal JPG for legacy clients -->
  <img src="image.jpg" alt="Mountain View" width="800" height="600" loading="lazy">
</picture>

Browsers evaluate <source> tags in top-to-bottom order: 1. AVIF — best compression, downloaded by 92%+ of visitors. 2. WebP — great compression, serves visitors on older browsers (2016–2020). 3. JPEG — universal baseline fallback, ensures 100% of all devices see your image.

AVIF vs. WebP vs. JPEG

For most production websites in 2026, generate all three formats at build time and let the browser select the best option via the <picture> element.

Do You Need to Convert AVIF Files?

If you have AVIF images that need to be shared with tools or team members that do not yet support the format, converting them is straightforward:

• Convert AVIF to JPG — Get a universally compatible JPEG from any AVIF file in seconds. No signup required.
• Convert AVIF to PNG — Convert AVIF to lossless PNG with alpha transparency for editing in Photoshop, Figma, or Canva.

Both converters run securely in the browser and automatically delete your files after processing.

Common Questions

Which browsers support AVIF in 2026?

AVIF is natively supported in Google Chrome (85+), Mozilla Firefox (93+), Apple Safari (16.1+ on macOS Ventura and iOS 16.1+), and Microsoft Edge (121+). Overall, more than 92% of global internet users have a browser capable of rendering AVIF images.

Does animated AVIF work across all browsers?

Animated AVIF is supported in Chrome 85+, Firefox 113+, Safari 17+, and Edge 121+. Older browsers, including Safari 16 and Firefox versions prior to 113, only support still AVIF images. When using animated AVIF, always provide an animated WebP or GIF fallback.

What should I do if a browser does not support AVIF?

Use an HTML5 <picture> tag that specifies an AVIF <source>, followed by a WebP <source>, and ends with a standard <img> pointing to a JPG or PNG fallback. The browser will automatically evaluate the sources and load the best format it can render.

Does Internet Explorer support AVIF?

No. Internet Explorer 11 has no AVIF support and never will — Microsoft ended IE 11 support in June 2022. The <picture> element fallback chain (AVIF → WebP → JPEG) ensures IE 11 users receive the JPEG version automatically.

Does Safari support AVIF?

Yes. Safari supports AVIF starting with Safari 16.1, released in October 2022 for macOS Ventura and iOS 16.1. Users on older Safari versions (16.0 or earlier, iOS 15, macOS Monterey) cannot view AVIF files. Always provide a WebP or JPG fallback for those users.

When did Chrome add AVIF support?

Chrome 85, released in August 2020. Chrome was the first major browser to support AVIF, nearly two years before Safari adopted it. Chrome for Android also supports AVIF from version 85.

Does Firefox support AVIF on mobile?

Yes. Firefox for Android has supported AVIF since Firefox 93 (October 2021). Animated AVIF support came with Firefox 113 (May 2023). Both desktop and mobile Firefox share the same AVIF support timeline.

Summary

AVIF browser support in 2026 is excellent: Chrome 85+, Firefox 93+, Safari 16.1+, and Edge 121+ all support it, covering over 92% of global users. Internet Explorer remains the only major browser with zero support. Deploy AVIF today using a <picture> element with WebP and JPEG fallbacks for maximum compatibility and performance.

Need to share AVIF files with software or devices that do not yet support the format? Try AVIF to JPG or AVIF to PNG on ConvertFileBox — free, fast, and files are deleted automatically.