Why doesn't Edge Support AVIF images?

Question

AVIF is the most efficient image format I've seen. I'm amazed at the image quality it provides at astonishingly small file sizes. If you haven't, try converting a raw image or two at Squoosh.app. It really saves bandwidth and speeds up image intensive websites. It's significant! I'd love to convert all my raw images to AVIF.

Chrome and Firefox have supported AVIF images for some time now, and it is my understanding that Edge is based on Chromium, which caused me to assume that it too would support AVIF images.

However, I just tested an AVIF dependent application in Edge Version 110.0.1587.46, in Windows 10, and none of the AVIF images are being displayed.

Why aren't AVIF images supported in Edge, given that Edge is based on a browser that does indeed support AVIF images?

Update 2023-10-12

I'm admittedly angry with Microsoft Edge at this point. That's the nicest way I can put it. Chromium spoon-feeds AVIF support to Edge automatically. Then, each release, Microsoft goes out of their way to deliberately remove AVIF support. Sometimes they remove it too late, and it slips into the Edge Betas (as documented below in Charles Roper's answer).

AVIF is an open, royalty-free image file format. Open source projects have no apprehension including support for it (ie. Firefox, Chromium). You'll find AVIF supported in all MODERN web browsers. There is no legitimate excuse for its exclusion from Edge. It certainly doesn't serve the user's, or web developer's, best interests. With no official explanation, we can only speculate the real reason for AVIF's exclusion.

There's obviously not enough people complaining about this. The issue is known, ignored, and remains open indefinitely.

If you'd like to express your own frustration, as I've done multiple times, open Microsoft Edge and press shift-alt-I (or go to the "..." menu > Help and Feedback > Send feedback). Admittedly, I've been completely ignored by this method, but maybe I'm not enough demand to even be seen.

Stackoverflow, thank you for giving us an uncensored way to amplify our persistently ignored requests. Hopefully, someone (with some pull) will read this and help us put this matter to rest. Nothing I've tried, so far, has worked.

Update 2024-01-14

In Charles Roper's answer, he says:

"Alex Russell has reported that AVIF support is enabled in Dev 121 and should not take long to roll down the release trains."

Edge 121 is scheduled for release on the week of January 25, 2024, which means it could arrive any day between January 22nd and 28th.

Kilby

They did the same thing back when PNG came out. IE significantly held back its introduction. – Speck

@Speck Interesting, I didn't notice this for PNGs. I made my first web page in 1995. Back then I used GIFs (yuck). – Kilby

FWIW: a workaround is proposed here: github.com/Kagami/avif.js (no warranties of any kind if it works, but if you're desperate - it is IMO worth trying). – Emelun

Since this was censored out of my question, I'm posting it as a comment: I stopped using Internet Explorer due to its slow implementation of modern web standards (many years ago). Today, I give Edge a chance to redeem "the company that provides it", and it appears that even though it is based on Chromium, the offering still fails to implement modern web standards. That's not an opinion, that's unfortunate FACT! – Kilby

Sorry I had to remove it Lonnie. I didn't agree with the closure of the question in the first place. I wanted to get it open again and thought these words in particular were raising other mods' "opinion-based" eyebrows: "I stopped using Internet Explorer due to its slow implementation of modern web standards (many years ago). Today, I give Edge a chance to redeem...". Unfortunately, Edge's delay in implementing this particular modern standard is due to a legal issue, rather than technical. In most other aspects, Edge is identical or very close to other Chromium browsers. – Selenodont

Thankfully, you didn't edit my comment too. @CharlesRoper – Kilby

@LonnieBest I had no problem at all with your original question. Mods around here are too trigger-happy with the closures these days imo (talking as an original beta user #1944). I only edited to remove the thing that looked like it might be an opinion or asking for an opinion. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ – Selenodont

Answer 1

Update 2024-01-22

Confirmed working in version 121.0.2277.71 (Official build) beta (64-bit)

Update 2023-12-16

Alex Russell has reported that AVIF support is enabled in Dev 121 and should not take long to roll down the release trains.

Source: https://toot.cafe/@slightlyoff/111591880542991167

(Thanks @baishu for the heads-up)

Update 2023-08-27

AVIF images in Edge Canary 118 seem to have been disabled again.

Update 2023-07-17

AVIF images are now showing up in Edge Canary.

Tested on:

• Edge 117.0.1981.0 (Official build) canary (64-bit)
• Windows 10 22H2 (19045.3208)
• http://www.amorosity.com/Slingblade/

---

Update 2023-02-20 @ 22:23

Alex Russell, Microsoft Partner PM on the Edge team and a Blink API owner has provided an update. It is a licensing issue holding things up.

See here: https://toot.cafe/@slightlyoff/109899372183448386

Waiting on licensing things to clear up. Unhappy with the delay, but unavoidable.

I'll leave my original answer below.

---

The correct answer here is that we simply don't know as of 2023-02-20. All we have is speculation. I cannot find any official word from Microsoft on it.

• Microsoft have no official status on AVIF support.

• Microsoft have not stated anywhere they are working on it.

• The AV1 Video Extension does not enable AVIF image support in Edge.

• AV1 Video Decoding is supported.

Suggestions of a flag to enable AVIF support appear to have been hallucinated - they do not work, nor are they documented by Microsoft anywhere.

The closest I can find to an official comment from Microsoft is from XuDong Peng-MSFT in this answer, in which they give this rather cryptic and vague reason:

Unfortunately, currently Microsoft Edge does not support avif format files due to design.

Of course, this makes no sense because other Chromium browsers and Firefox support AVIF just fine on Windows. So we can only speculate as to the reasoning given the silence from Microsoft, and the fully functioning implementations elsewhere. The format is open and royalty-free, so it can't be a licensing blocker.

Edge remains the only major browser that lacks AVIF support.

Selenodont

At the same time, it seems that Microsoft is using AV1 in Teams for screen sharing: reddit.com/r/AV1/comments/11rbv3z/… So they may be fine deploying "potentially" patent-infringing technology on apps with less distribution such as Teams, but not in Edge. And this considering AV1 could potentially infringe far more patents that AVIF, being a video codec. – Ute

I wish (like with Firefox and Chromium) there was a place you could go to submit an issue for Microsoft Edge. I'm not talking about some feedback form that doesn't generate a tracking number of any kind. I talking about a legitimate ticket system, where once a issue is submitted, everyone can track it thereafter. The issue we're discussing (AVIF Support) should have an open ticket for all to see. Microsoft owns GitHub, which offers good issue tracking. Why isn't there anything like that for Edge? – Kilby

@LonnieBest I'm pretty sure the Edge team is aware of this issue, sounds like they are waiting for their legal team to approve it. In any case, click the menu button in the toolbar and select Help and Feedback > Send Feedback - preferably with a screenshot of a broken site with an AVIF image. – Smitty

Your 2023-08-27 update just emphasizes that AVIF support is there by default, and they're always having to go out of their way to keep it removed. Its such an efficient format. This is so ridiculous. – Kilby

@LonnieBest Yes that's right. Unfortunately, as Alex Russell, who works on the Edge team, reported "Waiting on licensing things to clear up. Unhappy with the delay, but unavoidable." We can only assume the MS Legal department won't green-light its general availability. – Selenodont

neowin.net/news/microsoft-edge-121-finally-brings-avif-support – Cabinetwork

@CharlesRoper Merry Christmas : toot.cafe/@slightlyoff/111591880542991167 – Sidesaddle

Answer 2

Seems like there is some progress... Avif is working for me in Edge Canary (116.0.1917.0)

Suchta

Did you have to do any extra steps to get the avif images to display in 116.0.1917.0? My users are on Version 114.0.1823.51. I'm looking forward to the day that an automatic update enables avif images once and for all. – Kilby

Hey @LonnieBest... Nope, I doubled check multiple things, and the only requirement so far seems to be Windows 11 (22621.1848) - github.com/MicrosoftEdge/Status/issues/723 Same browser version on Windows 10 22H2 doesn't support avif. I tried various flags too as well as with and witouth the AV1 video extension microsoft.com/store/productId/9MVZQVXJBQ9V It didn't have any impact – Suchta

Thanks for the great info. Rant: My hopes are targeting Windows 10 specifically. Chrome and Firefox have no issue providing AVIF support on Windows 10. So, there won't be a legitimate excuse for Edge. I do not appreciate arbitrary limitations in software. With Edge being based on Chrome, Microsoft had to go out of their way to REMOVE avif support in the first place! So what else can this be than the beloved open source wolf in sheep's clothing showing its teeth! And the worst part is that this Slingblade page is exclusively AVIF without fall backs! – Kilby

@LonnieBest I'm on Win10 22H2 (19045.3208) and in Edge 117.0.1981.0 canary (64-bit) avif images are showing up. 👍 – Selenodont

@LonnieBest I'm on Win10 22H2 (19045.3086) and Edge Canary 117.0.1991.0 AVIF images are not showing up - when fallback is provided, it is used instead. With --enable-features=msEdgeAVIF they fail (broken image, no fallback). Test page: libre-software.net/image/avif-test – Gastrotrich

@CharlesRoper are you registered in any windows insider program? My Windows 10 has a newer build but is still not loading avif images in Edge Canary 118 – Suchta

@Suchta No, I'm not in any Insider programmes. I've just checked in the Canary 118 and avifs have stopped working for me there, too. They must have removed it again or put it behind a flag maybe? – Selenodont

Answer 3

Just to answer your question regarding Windows 11 Edge. Edge has the same "latest version" on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. However, .avif pics are also not supported on Windows 11 Edge.

The lack of support for .avif in Edge is by design, out of compatibility concerns or something. AV1 Video Extension from Microsoft Store is used to enable you to view .avif pics on Microsoft Photos App, but won't affect Edge.

Good news is, as @D A has said, the Dev Team is testing to add support for .avif in Edge Canary.

UPDATE

As to the flag of --enable-features=msEdgeAVIF, you can go to a website for AVIF image check. In Edge Stable or Canary without this flag, you will have JPEG fallback image indicating that Edge is not supporting AVIF. Once you have enabled this flag in Canary, you will only have broken image icons. The only thing I can come up with to explain this is that enabling this flag informs the website that Edge is supporting AVIF, so it's trying to render AVIF instead of using fallback JPEG. However, it can be a licensing issue, as Alex has said, so Edge is not able to show AVIF images for now.

Electronegative

Thanks for this. See my comment on question above. #75460094. Many thanks! :) – Selenodont

Hi @CharlesRoper, I've shared my insight into this behavior. Please check the updated answer. – Electronegative

Yes, you're right, it seems that the flag makes Edge think it can handle AVIF, but the code to actually handle the AVIF isn't there so it breaks. I guess we will just have to wait until Microsoft settles whatever is the problem with the patent troll (probably Sisvel - reddit.com/r/AV1/comments/ypwee4/patent_troll). – Selenodont

Answer 4

Now it is Jan 09, 2024, Edge is still not supporting avif format. Asking a user to install a plug-in to show avif images in Edge is not reasonable. We do not prepare multiple versions of images to favor Edge users, just simply showing a message to ask the user to switch to ANY other browsers to view images of modern format. Edge market share only takes a single digit. Finally Edge has to support it or the market discards Edge.

Carlie

Answer 5

As of October 2021, the AVIF image file format support was introduced in Google Chrome 85 and Firefox 93 versions. If your browser is currently on a newer version than one of these it also will be supported. Microsoft Edge isn’t currently supported, but since the new Microsoft Edge uses the same Chromium Engine it won’t be long until support is rolled out. However, there is an AV1 Extension add-on available to download on the Microsoft Store (https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/av1-video-extension/9MVZQVXJBQ9V?hl=en-us&gl=us&activetab=pivot%3Aoverviewtab). This provides support on Windows 10 devices and Edge if installed.

PS: In Edge Canary 112, Microsoft is testing adding support for the AV1 Image File Format (AVIF) in the browser.

Command-line flag: --enable-features=msEdgeAVIF

Acetous

I find it hard to believe that Edge is based on "an old enough version of Chromium" that it doesn't have AVIF support. Chrome and Firefox (installed on the same Windows 10 OS) have no issue displaying AVIF images. The lack of support for AVIF in Edge v110 seems to deliberately remove something that should inherently be there (due to its base). I'm here hoping to learn WHY. – Kilby

I have added some extra info. They don't because of a design problem but they started to test/add it in Edge. – Acetous

After installing the extension you provided (and rebooting Windows 10), AVIF images are still not showing in web pages via Edge v110. For example, this page showcases 19 AVIF images (in Firefox or Chrome), but even with that extension installed, no images show in Edge v110. – Kilby

Are you able to cite sources for where you're getting your information, please? E.g. "it won’t be long until support is rolled out" and "In Edge Canary 112, Microsoft is testing adding support for the AV1 Image File Format (AVIF) in the browser." I'm not challenging this information, it's just useful to have canonical links so we can follow progress and dig into the background ourselves. Web searching for this information led to this question, so I'm guessing it will help others. Many thanks. :) – Selenodont

@DA Did you test this flag? I've tried and it doesn't work. 112.0.1690.0 (Official build) canary (64-bit). The video linked to by Lonnie Best is the only place I can find any reference to this flag, but it doesn't work. At 3:22 the test clearly shows that the avif image is still broken. The installable extension only works with AV1 video, not images. – Selenodont