Performance6 min read·Updated

Cloudflare Polish vs Converting to WebP Yourself

Cloudflare Polish (and similar) transcode at the edge. That is useful. It is not a reason to upload 8 MB PNGs. Convert locally so every host, screenshot, and non-Cloudflare environment stays fast — including localhost and clients who copy files to WordPress.com.

Edge transcode is a safety net

Polish helps when someone uploads a bad file next Tuesday. A WebP master helps every request, including those that never touch Cloudflare.

Why it matters

  • Not every site is on Cloudflare Pro.
  • Polish does not fix wrong dimensions in HTML.
  • Localhost and preview deploys have no Polish.

How to do it

  1. Convert the current library to WebP anyway.
  2. Leave Polish on as a backstop if you pay for it.
  3. Set max width so Polish is not resizing 6000 px photos.

Settings that work

Same settings as everywhere: 1600–1920 / 80% as a default.

Convert a batch in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Open the converter

Put it into practice

Convert your images to WebP right now, free and privately in your browser.

Open the converter

Frequently asked questions

You can. Leaving it on is harmless if you already ship WebP.

A different product. You still should not store giants as the source.

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