Of JFIF For What

I have noticed that my occasionally Windows 10 and Windows 11 have these quirky updates which start turning all image downloads into a .JFIF format.

I open my "work" laptop for the first time this year and while I was away it decided to update and is downloading all my images as .JFIF which it then refuses to recognise pic.twitter.com/rvEOBfLpIi

— ~B 🇿🇼 (@Beatonm5) January 5, 2023

What Is JFIF?

JFIF is the acronym for JPEG File Interchange Format. A JFIF file is a bitmap graphic that uses JPEG compression. It is saved using a variation of the common .JPEG file format, designed to include a minimal amount of data and allow easy exchange across multiple platforms and applications.

While the idea behind it has merit, I am not sure why one day Microsoft woke one day and unilaterally  decided  “You know what, lets standardise all image downloads to this format which no one else has agreed to.“

In practice the formart is not as cross-platform friendly as one would expect, for example I am restricted from uploading the file type to WordPress.com and some of the image editing software I use do not effectively support the file extension.

How To Convert JFIF To JPEG

NOTE: You cannot simply rename the file extension from JFIF into JPEG or any other format as this can render it unusable or corrupt the file.

Convert using Microsoft Paint

Microsoft Paint has a remarkable range in being able to open different types of image files and then you can use the SAVE AS function to save into a more familiar format.

Convert Using online conversion tools

You can search the internet for online tools to convert from JFIF to various formats

Chrome Extension

Using a Chrome Extension called Save Image As Type found on the Chrome Web Store. This extension adds a context menu for images to be saved as JPG PNG and WebP

Windows Registry Edit

This is a permanent registry edit fix which replaces the default extension for JPEG images in the system.

WARNING – Editing Registry Editor improperly can corrupt your Operating System or cause serious, system-wide malfunctions that may require you to re-install Windows to correct.

Launch the Registry Editor by pressing Windows + R or opening the Run dialog window in the start menu. In this window, type the regedit instruction: regedit

In the new window that you will find (the registry editor), navigate to the following registry key:

Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MIME\Database\Content Type\image/jpeg

Find the REG_SZ value that contains the Extension of the JPEG mimetype. Right click on this item and click on Modify:

Replace .jfif with .jpg and click on Ok.

After saving this change, the default extension when saving JPG images will be .jpg instead of .jfif.

Alternatively

If you are not comfortable tinkering around with the Windows Registry here is a work around solution that safely applies the solution for you.
Download and save the file below:

Double click on the file in the explorer and accept the changes.
That’s it.
Your image files now save as .jpg

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