How to Check Browser Support With Can I Use

You’re about to use a new image format or CSS feature on your website. It works in your browser. Great! But what happens when someone visits from an older phone or a different browser?

Quick answer: Search for the feature on Can I Use, find the matching support table, and check the browser versions and notes that matter to your audience. Treat the global percentage as a rough reference—not a guarantee that your own visitors are covered.

For this guide, we opened the WebP search results and inspected the browser table and notes on the desktop website. We did not test WebP in the listed browsers or measure this site’s audience. Support data and version numbers can change.

Look up the feature you want to use

1. Open Can I Use in your browser.
2. Enter a feature name in the search box. Try WebP, an image format often used on websites.
3. Find the result that matches your actual use. Searching for WebP can also return more specific browser API results; the WebP image format entry is the broad format table. A related API’s table answers a different question.

Read the table—and the fine print

Find the browser column you care about, then locate the version or version range. In the default legend, green means supported, red means not supported, greenish yellow means partial support, and gray means support is unknown. The site also offers a color-blind-friendly option. Don’t rely on color alone: read the labels and version numbers.

If a cell has a numbered marker, read the corresponding Notes below the table. For example, when checked, the WebP table marked Safari 14 through 15.6 as partial and explained that full support on those versions required macOS 11 Big Sur or later. That’s a more useful answer than seeing a colored box and assuming every device behaves the same way. Check the live table for current information.

Also check Known issues and Resources when available. A “supported” label doesn’t mean every possible combination of your code, device, and browser is bug-free. Can I Use links to specifications and other references so you can investigate the exact feature.

Put the global number in context

The percentage near the top summarizes estimated browser usage for the selected audience and support categories; partial support may be shown separately. It is not the percentage of your visitors who can use your exact implementation. The site identifies its usage-statistics source and month in the footer, and offers different audience selections. Your visitors may use a different mix of devices and versions.

For a site you manage, compare the table with whatever reliable audience data you already have and decide which browsers you need to support. If a meaningful group needs an older browser, consider an appropriate fallback. For WebP, that might mean supplying an alternative image format where your setup supports it. Test the fallback rather than assuming it works.

Before you ship

• Check the exact feature. Support for an image format is not automatically support for every API that can produce or manipulate that format.
• Read notes and known issues. A partial-support label can hide a condition that matters to your project.
• Test the real experience. Open your own page in the browsers and devices you need to support, including the fallback. The table is a research tool, not a substitute for testing your implementation.
• Recheck later. Browser versions and support data change. Bookmark the relevant result and revisit it when your requirements change.

If you’re preparing images on a Mac, our guide to converting and resizing images in Preview covers making and checking a separate copy.