Chrome is rolling out native support for JPEG XL (.jxl) image format starting with version 155, according to an announcement from the Chrome team. The format offers 30-50% better compression than JPEG, along with lossless compression, built-in HDR support, and lossless JPEG transcoding capabilities.
Chrome’s implementation prioritizes security by using jxl-rs, a pure Rust implementation of the JPEG XL decoder. According to the Chrome team, image decoders represent one of the most critical and targeted attack surfaces in modern web browsers, as they process complex untrusted binary data directly from the network within the renderer process. Historically, decoders written in C++ have been vulnerable to memory safety issues including out-of-bounds reads, heap overflows, and use-after-free bugs. The Rust-based approach restricts unsafe operations to a small number of highly-vetted locations.
To maintain performance alongside memory safety, Chrome’s implementation includes a SIMD abstraction layer (jxl_simd) inspired by the C++ Highway library. This allows the decoder to fully utilize modern hardware capabilities without requiring unsafe code. The Chrome team verified the jxl-rs implementation through fuzzing and AI code review, reporting no memory safety bugs throughout its development history.
The Chrome team notes that JPEG XL is particularly useful for high-fidelity or lossless compression, especially for photographic images or cases requiring fine-grained progressive decoding. The team recommends developers try both AVIF and JPEG XL formats to determine which works best for their use cases.
The decision to ship JPEG XL was based on consistent developer feedback collected through multiple channels, including bug reports, surveys, and the Interop Project, where it was a popular proposal in 2026 and prior years. Chrome participated in the Interop 2026 JPEG XL Investigation to ensure test coverage for all format features across browsers.
Key facts
- JPEG XL offers 30-50% better compression than JPEG with lossless compression support
- Chrome’s JPEG XL decoder is written in Rust to eliminate memory safety vulnerabilities
- The format includes built-in HDR support and lossless JPEG transcoding capabilities
- JPEG XL support begins in Chrome 155
- The implementation uses a SIMD abstraction layer for performance optimization without unsafe code