Why are my iPhone photos HEIC?
Since iOS 11, iPhones save photos as HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) when the camera is set to High Efficiency, which is the default. HEIC uses the same compression as HEVC video and stores a photo in about half the space of a JPEG at similar quality, so your iPhone holds roughly twice as many pictures.
The trade-off is compatibility. Windows needs an extra extension to open HEIC, many websites and forms reject it, and plenty of apps, printers and older Android phones can't display it. JPG works everywhere.
How this converter decodes HEIC
Only Safari can decode HEIC natively, so for Chrome, Edge and Firefox this tool loads libheif, the open-source HEIC decoder, compiled to WebAssembly (about 3 MB, downloaded only the first time you convert a HEIC file). The photo is decoded on your device and saved as a JPEG at 92% quality, with the same full resolution. Photos are turned upright using their orientation data.
HEIC previews may appear blank in browsers other than Safari until the file is converted. That's expected, and the converted JPG displays normally.
Live Photos, edits and metadata
A few iPhone specifics:
- Live Photos: you get the still photo. The short video clip is stored separately and isn't part of the HEIC.
- Edited photos: if you share or export from the Photos app, you get the edited version. HEIC files copied straight off the phone may be the original.
- Metadata: the JPG doesn't include EXIF data, so GPS location, date and camera details are left out. That's usually a plus when posting online; keep the HEIC if you need that information.
- Depth and portrait data, HDR gain maps and burst sequences aren't carried into the JPG.
How do I make my iPhone save JPG instead of HEIC?
To stop new photos being saved as HEIC, go to Settings → Camera → Formats and choose Most Compatible; photos then take about twice the space. For existing photos, Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → Automatic converts to JPG when you copy to a computer by cable. When you upload through Safari's file picker, iOS often converts to JPG automatically too.
This converter covers everything else: HEIC files you've already copied to Windows, received by email or AirDrop, or downloaded from iCloud.
Many photos at once, privately
Add a whole batch of HEIC photos and they're converted one after another; download each JPG or all of them in a ZIP. Converting a large batch uses your device's memory, so for hundreds of photos at once a computer works best. Everything happens in your browser, so personal photos are never uploaded.
How do I open HEIC photos on Windows or Android?
Windows can display HEIC photos after installing Microsoft's free HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store, though some Windows versions also want the paid HEVC Video Extensions for full support. Android has been able to read HEIF images since Android 9, and Google Photos shows them, but many Android apps, older phones and messaging apps still can't. Converting to JPG is the reliable fix when you're sending photos to someone who isn't on Apple devices.
How big is the JPG compared with the HEIC?
Expect each JPG to be about 1.5 to 2 times the size of the HEIC, because JPEG is the less efficient format and the conversion uses 92% quality to keep the photo looking as it did. A typical 12-megapixel iPhone photo of around 2 MB as HEIC becomes roughly 3–4 MB as JPG. If you need smaller files, run the JPGs through the Image Compressor or resize them with the Image Resizer.
When you attach photos from the Photos app to an email in iPhone Mail, iOS usually sends them as JPG automatically. Converting matters most for files already copied to a computer, synced from iCloud, or AirDropped to a Mac.
Can I convert HEIC to JPG on my iPhone?
If you prefer to stay in iOS, the Shortcuts app has a Convert Image action that can turn selected photos into JPEG, which you can add to the share sheet. It takes a few minutes to set up. Opening this page in Safari and choosing photos from your library does the same job with no setup, and handles a whole selection at once.