Google Chrome 145 Brings Back JPEG-XL Image Support After Four-Year Gap

The latest stable update restores modern image decoding to Chromium-based browsers, alongside security and performance enhancements.

What happened:

• Google has released Chrome 145 to the stable channel, reintroducing support for the JPEG-XL image format that was removed in 2022.

Why it matters now:

• JPEG-XL is considered a next-generation image format offering better compression and quality, potentially improving web performance and storage efficiency.

What changes for people:

• Developers and users can now enable JPEG-XL decoding via a browser flag, while benefiting from additional security and web platform improvements.

Who is affected:

• Web developers, designers, Linux/Windows/macOS users, browser engineers, and platforms optimising image delivery.

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JPEG-XL returns to Chrome after being dropped in 2022

Google removed JPEG-XL support from Chrome’s codebase in 2022, citing adoption concerns. Four years later, the company has restored decoding capability in Chrome 145.

The support has been added back to the Blink rendering engine and is currently gated behind the “enable-jxl-image-format” flag, meaning users must manually activate it.

This move follows renewed industry interest in modern image formats that promise improved efficiency without sacrificing quality.

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Why JPEG-XL matters for the web

JPEG-XL is designed to provide:

• Higher compression efficiency compared to traditional JPEG

• Improved image quality at lower file sizes

• Better support for high-resolution and HDR images

• Backward compatibility with legacy JPEG images

For websites, this could mean faster load times and reduced bandwidth usage — particularly important for mobile users and content-heavy platforms.

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Rust-based decoder boosts memory safety

Instead of relying on the earlier C++ library (libjxl), Google has integrated a Rust-based decoder known as jxl-rs.

Rust is widely praised for its memory safety features, which reduce vulnerabilities like buffer overflows — a key concern for browser security.

This shift reflects a broader industry trend of adopting memory-safe programming languages for critical web components.

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Other key updates in Chrome 145

Beyond JPEG-XL, Chrome 145 introduces several enhancements:

• Support for the text-justify CSS property

• Column wrapping improvements in multi-column layouts

• Device-bound session credentials

• SQLite backend for IndexedDB

• Reduced user-agent strings by default

• Upsert functionality for web development

These updates aim to improve web compatibility, performance and security.

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Multiple perspectives: comeback win or cautious rollout?

Supporters of JPEG-XL say its return strengthens competition among modern image formats and gives developers more flexibility.

However, some analysts note that adoption may remain gradual unless major platforms actively promote the format.

Others see the Rust integration as a more significant milestone, highlighting Google’s commitment to browser security.

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Impact on web development and performance

If widely adopted, JPEG-XL could influence how images are stored, transmitted and displayed across websites. For content creators and platforms, the format may reduce hosting costs and improve page speed metrics.

Chrome’s backing could also encourage other browsers to revisit or expand their support for the format.

The update signals continued evolution in web standards as performance and safety become top priorities.