Why was Save Image as Type disabled? What to use now?

What happened to Save Image as Type?#

Being one of Chrome's most well-known extensions, you’ve probably used “Save Image as Type” at one point or another. It was a convenient tool that allowed you to download images in a different format from the original. Its best feature was that it would convert your images without requiring you to leave the original page or redirect you to a separate website.

That's why it came as a surprise to many users when this convenient extension was flagged and then made unavailable in the Chrome Web Store. Just a couple of weeks ago, Reddit users were quick to point out that Chrome has permanently disabled “Save image as Type” due to the extension containing malware and being unsafe:

Why was it marked as unsafe?#

Some users naturally believed this to be a mistake or a temporary issue. After all, how could such a popular tool be malicious without anyone noticing? Against all odds, it was revealed that the underlying reason why Chrome disabled “Save image as Type” was that it contained malicious code, which was used for scraping and selling users’ data. More specifically, the data scraping method they used was ”cookie stuffing”, which they did without informing or requesting consent from the user. It is very similar to the way PayPal’s extension Honey was previously accused of operating. In their report, XDA Developers have provided a deeper dive into the different versions of the “Save image as Type” tool, its code and how it was used to mishandle user data.

Upon further research, it turned out this is not even the first time the extension has been reported for breaking the rules. Already in 2024, it was established that the tool had turned malicious and some browser vendors, such as Microsoft, had soon after disabled it from their platforms. Unfortunately, due to Google's severely delayed action, many of their users have now had their data misused for profit. It appears this is yet another confirmation of the saying “if the product is free, you are the product”.

What to use now?#

​An established and safe alternative to “Save Image as Type” is MConverter. Next to operating strictly in accordance with Chrome’s acceptable use policies, the app’s funding comes from optional paid plans instead of stealing user data. Unlike other similar Chrome extensions, MConverter’s extension provides a wide variety of image formats for users to choose from, like saving WebP, AVIF and JXL images to JPG and PNG. This extension also allows you to save video and audio files in various formats by right-clicking on them.

After installing it, just right-click on any image, video or audio, and you'll see the option to quickly convert and save it in a different format: