To convert HEIC to JPG, drop your iPhone photos into the converter above. Each HEIC file becomes a full-size JPG, and a whole batch can be converted in one go and saved as a single ZIP. It's free with no signup, and the photos are converted inside your browser, so your personal pictures never leave your computer or phone.
What a HEIC file is
HEIC is how an iPhone stores photos. The format underneath is HEIF, the High Efficiency Image File Format, introduced in 2015 by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), and an iPhone saves the variant whose images are compressed with HEVC, using the .heic extension. Apple switched to it with iOS 11 in 2017, and every iPhone from the iPhone 7 on can take photos this way.
The reason is storage. Apple says HEIF compresses better than JPEG, so photos take less space on the phone and in iCloud Photos while looking the same. The catch is compatibility: JPG has been the most widely used image format since 1992 and is what most cameras produce, so software everywhere reads it, while HEIC support is much patchier.
Why a HEIC photo won't open
- On Windows. The Photos app shows HEIC photos only once two Microsoft Store add-ons are installed: the free HEIF Image Extension and HEVC Video Extensions, which is a paid download.
- In a browser. Of the major browsers, only Safari displays HEIC images. Websites have to work in all of them, so many upload forms ask for JPG or PNG and turn a HEIC away.
- In other apps. Some photo editors can't read HEIC at all, and on Windows several need the same two add-ons first.
A JPG avoids all three problems, which is why converting is usually the quickest fix.
Converted on your device
The converter reads each photo inside the browser tab. Safari can open HEIC files by itself; in other browsers the page loads an open-source HEIC decoder, libheif, which also runs on your device. Every photo is then drawn and saved as a JPG right there. No server receives your pictures, so there's nothing to store, share or delete afterward, which counts when the photos show your children, your home or a document.
Photos convert one after another. Each row in the list shows the new file name (IMG_2045.heic comes out as IMG_2045.jpg), the pixel size, and the file size before and after. When at least two have finished, a single ZIP download collects them.
What the JPG keeps and what it leaves out
It keeps the picture at full size. The JPG has the same width and height in pixels as the HEIC. The exception is a photo too big for the browser's memory, over roughly 36 megapixels (16 on a phone), which is scaled down, with a note in its row.
It leaves out the metadata. An iPhone photo can carry its camera details, the date and time it was taken, and, when Location Services is on for the Camera app, the coordinates of where you took it. Apple points out that people you share such a photo with may be able to see that location. Converting here re-encodes the pixels, and the JPG carries none of that information: no camera details, no date, no GPS position. That's a plus before you post a picture of your home or send one to a stranger. If you sort photos by the date they were taken, though, keep the originals too.
It grows. Because HEIF compresses better than JPEG, the JPG is usually a larger file than the HEIC it came from, and the list shows by how much. The quality slider sets the balance between size and detail: 92% is the starting point, and a lower setting makes smaller files for email or a form with a size limit.
PNG is an option. Choose PNG under Convert to for a lossless copy you plan to keep editing, the same reason people convert JPG to PNG, or WebP for a compact file for the web. Every row also has a Remove background button, which opens the photo in the background remover for a transparent PNG cutout.
Stop your iPhone saving HEIC photos
If you'd rather get JPGs from the start, Apple's setting is in the Camera settings: open Settings, tap Camera, tap Formats, then tap Most Compatible. From then on, new photos are saved as JPEG; choose High Efficiency to go back. It doesn't change photos you've already taken, and JPGs take more storage on the phone.
Your iPhone also converts on its own in some cases:
- Sharing. When you send photos with AirDrop, Messages or email to a device that doesn't support HEIF, they may go out as JPEG automatically.
- Importing over USB. Photos imported from an attached iPhone into Photos, Image Capture or a PC may be converted to JPEG; the Keep Originals option under Settings, Apps, Photos turns that off.
On a Mac you can also convert a photo yourself: open it in Photos or Preview, choose File > Export and pick JPEG.
The converter is for everything else: a folder of HEIC files on a Windows PC, photos someone sent you as HEIC files, or a batch that has to be JPG before an upload form will take it. Pictures saved from websites as WebP go through the WebP to PNG converter the same way, and PNG to JPG makes PNG photos small enough to send.
Frequently asked questions
Is HEIC the same as HEIF?
Nearly. HEIF is the file format, and HEIC is the name for HEIF files whose pictures are compressed with HEVC, which is what an iPhone saves. The converter opens files with either extension.
Will my photos lose quality as JPGs?
JPG compression discards some fine detail, and the quality slider decides how much: a higher setting keeps more detail and makes larger files. The width and height in pixels stay the same as the HEIC's.
Can I convert HEIC to JPG on Windows without installing anything?
Yes. The converter runs in your web browser, so there's no program or Windows extension to install, and the JPGs it saves open in the Photos app, Office and almost any other software.
Does the JPG keep the photo's location and the date it was taken?
No. Converting re-encodes the pixels, and the new file carries none of the original's metadata: no camera details, no date and no GPS location. Keep the HEIC originals if you need that information.
Can I convert the photos on my iPhone itself?
Yes. Open this page in Safari, tap Choose images and pick the photos. A phone's browser has less memory to work with, so any photo larger than about 16 megapixels is reduced to fit, and its row says so; on a computer the limit is about 36 megapixels.
What if a photo won't convert?
Its row shows the reason, and the rest of the list carries on. That happens with a file that isn't really an image, or a HEIC the decoder can't read; converting that one on the device that made it is the fallback.