How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Any Device
Your iPhone saves photos as HEIC to save space, but plenty of apps and websites still can't open them. Here is how to turn HEIC into universally compatible JPG — on iPhone, Windows, and Mac — without uploading a single photo.
Updated May 18, 2026
What is HEIC, and why does my iPhone use it?
HEIC is Apple's name for an image stored in the HEIF container, encoded with the modern HEVC codec. Since iOS 11, iPhones and iPads have saved photos this way because HEIC files are roughly half the size of an equivalent JPG at the same visual quality. That is great for your storage, but it creates friction the moment you leave Apple's ecosystem: older versions of Windows, many web upload forms, and some editing apps simply refuse to open the file.
The fastest fix: change one camera setting
If you have not taken the photos yet and you know you will be sharing them, you can tell your iPhone to capture JPG directly. Open Settings → Camera → Formats and choose Most Compatible. From then on the camera records JPG instead of HEIC. This does not touch the photos already in your library, though — for those you still need to convert.
Converting HEIC files you already have
There are three common routes. On a Mac, opening a HEIC in Preview and choosing File → Export lets you pick JPEG. On Windows 11, the Photos app can open HEIC after installing Apple's HEIF extension, then you can Save as a JPG. Both work, but they are slow for more than a handful of files, and the Windows route involves installing extra codecs.
Why an in-browser converter is usually the better choice
A browser-based converter avoids installs entirely and, crucially, keeps your photos on your device. When you drop HEIC files into a tool like ours, the decoding and re-encoding happen locally in the page — your images are never sent to a server. That matters for personal photos: there is no upload, no copy sitting in someone's cloud, and no privacy policy to read. It is also the quickest way to batch-convert dozens of files at once.
Should I pick JPG or PNG?
For photographs, choose JPG. Its lossy compression is designed for the smooth gradients and fine detail of real-world images, giving you small files that look great. Pick PNG only when you need a perfectly lossless copy or the image has sharp edges and flat colour (screenshots, logos, diagrams). If you want PNG instead, the same converter handles HEIC to PNG just as easily.
Quick steps
- 1Open the HEIC to JPG converter and drag your HEIC photos onto the drop area (or click to browse).
- 2The output is already set to JPG. If you want, adjust the quality to trade a little detail for a smaller file.
- 3Click convert, then download each JPG — or grab them all at once. Nothing is uploaded; the work happens in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
JPG uses lossy compression, so there is a small, usually invisible quality change. Keeping the quality setting high (around 90%) produces a JPG that looks identical to the original for normal viewing and printing.
Yes. A browser-based converter decodes and re-encodes the images on your own device, so the files never leave your computer or phone. This is the most private way to convert personal photos.
Older Windows versions lack the HEVC and HEIF codecs needed to decode HEIC. You can install Apple's extensions, but converting the files to JPG once is simpler and means they open everywhere afterwards.