What is a HEIC file?
HEIC is the container used by HEIF, an image format that iPhones and iPads use by default for photos. It stores pictures at good quality in smaller files than a typical JPG, which is why Apple adopted it.
The catch is compatibility. Windows, many web forms, some editing programs and plenty of other devices cannot open HEIC without extra support. JPG, on the other hand, opens almost anywhere, which is why people regularly need to convert iPhone photos into JPG before using them elsewhere.
When you need to convert HEIC to JPG
The usual trigger is an iPhone photo that will not upload or open: a job application portal that rejects the file, an email recipient who sees an unknown attachment, or a Windows PC that shows no preview. Converting to JPG solves all of these at once.
It is also handy before editing in software that has no HEIC support, or before printing at a shop that accepts only common formats.
If you want to keep every pixel without lossy compression, HEIC to PNG gives you a lossless file, though it will be considerably larger. For a lighter JPG afterwards, the image compressor can trim it further.
How to convert HEIC to JPG with this tool
- Drag a HEIC or HEIF photo onto the upload area, or click to browse. Files with .heic or .heif extensions are accepted.
- The file name and size are shown.
- Click Convert to JPEG. The first conversion may take a moment because the decoding library is loaded when you first use it.
- A preview of the converted photo appears.
- Click Download to save it. The file keeps its base name with a .jpg extension.
Decoding is done in your browser, so the photo is not uploaded to a server. Use Start over to load another file.
Notes and limits
There is no quality slider. The tool converts at a fixed high quality setting (92%), so you cannot dial the JPG size up or down here. If you want a smaller file, run the result through the image compressor.
One photo at a time. Each conversion handles a single file. For a whole album, you will repeat the steps for each photo.
Metadata and live photos. The output is a plain still JPG, so do not rely on it carrying every piece of information from the original, and motion from Live Photos is not included.
Large photos can take a few seconds and use more memory on older phones and computers.
If you get an error, check that the file really is a HEIC or HEIF image and has not been corrupted during transfer.