Install libjxl Utilities on Ubuntu 26.04

The libjxl is an open-source implementation of the JPEG XL image format, designed to provide efficient image compression while preserving image quality. The project includes command line utilities for JPEG XL image processing, including jxlinfo for inspecting image information, cjxl for encoding, and djxl for decoding. This tutorial explains how to install libjxl utilities on Ubuntu 26.04.

Install libjxl Utilities

Make sure that the package lists are up-to-date:

sudo apt update

Install the JPEG XL utilities with the following command:

sudo apt install -y libjxl-tools

Check the installed versions to verify that the utilities are available:

cjxl --version

djxl --version

Testing libjxl Utilities

A sample JPEG XL image can be downloaded for testing:

curl -sSo test.jxl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/eustas/jxl-demo/master/image00.jxl

Use jxlinfo to inspect the JPEG XL file and display details about its format, dimensions, color space, and available reconstruction data:

jxlinfo test.jxl

Expected output:

JPEG XL file format container (ISO/IEC 18181-2)
JPEG bitstream reconstruction data available
JPEG XL image, 1365x1024, (possibly) lossless, 8-bit RGB
Color space: RGB, D65, sRGB primaries, sRGB transfer function, rendering intent: Relative

Uninstall libjxl Utilities

When the JPEG XL utilities are no longer required, remove the package and unused dependencies with command:

sudo apt purge --autoremove -y libjxl-tools