HEIC is Apple's format, and many devices and websites don't recognize it yet

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the format Apple uses by default on iPhones, iPads, and newer Macs. It saves space and keeps quality high, which is great for your device — but when you try to email a HEIC photo, upload it to a website, or open it on a Windows computer, you often hit a wall. The file simply won't open, or the website rejects it.

JPG is the older, universal format that works everywhere: every phone, every computer, every website. Converting HEIC to JPG takes a few minutes and solves the problem permanently. You have several routes depending on what device you're using and how many photos you need to convert.

Key Takeaways

  • On an iPhone or iPad, you can change the camera setting to shoot in JPG instead of HEIC, which prevents the problem before it starts.
  • To convert photos you've already taken, use the built-in Photos app on Mac or iPad, or the free online converter CloudConvert if you're on Windows.
  • Windows 11 can open HEIC files natively, but older Windows versions cannot without installing additional software.
  • If you have many photos to convert, batch conversion (converting multiple at once) is faster than doing them one by one.

Change your iPhone or iPad camera to shoot JPG instead

The easiest solution is to stop creating HEIC files in the first place. On your iPhone or iPad, open Settings, then tap Camera, then scroll down to Formats. You'll see two options: High Efficiency (which creates HEIC) and Most Compatible (which creates JPG). Tap Most Compatible.

From that moment on, every photo you take will be a JPG. This won't convert your old HEIC photos, but it stops new ones from being created. If you only take photos occasionally and don't mind the smaller file size of JPG, this is the simplest fix.

Convert HEIC photos on a Mac using the Photos app

Open the Photos app and find the HEIC photo you want to convert. Right-click it and select Export. A dialog box will open. In the Format dropdown menu, select JPEG. Choose where you want to save the file, then click Export.

If you have multiple photos to convert, you can select them all at once. Hold down the Command key and click each photo you want to convert. Then right-click and select Export the same way. The Photos app will convert and save all of them in one batch.

Convert HEIC photos on an iPad using Files or Photos

iPad's Photos app works the same way as Mac: open the app, find your HEIC photo, tap and hold it, then select Share. Scroll down and tap Save to Files. Choose your location, and the photo will save as a JPG.

If you're working with files in the Files app instead, you'll need to use a different method. iPad doesn't have a built-in file converter in Files, so you'll need to use an online converter (see the Windows section below for instructions on CloudConvert, which works on iPad too).

Convert HEIC photos on Windows using CloudConvert

Windows 11 can open HEIC files natively, but Windows 10 and earlier versions cannot. If you're on Windows 10 or older, the simplest free option is CloudConvert, a web-based converter that works in any browser.

Go to cloudconvert.com in your browser. Click the large Select File button and choose your HEIC photo from your computer. CloudConvert will automatically detect that it's HEIC. In the dropdown menu on the right, select JPG as the output format. Click Convert. When it's done, click Download to save the JPG to your computer.

For multiple photos, CloudConvert lets you upload up to 10 files at once. Click Select File multiple times, or drag and drop several files into the box. They'll all convert to JPG in one batch, and you can download them as a single zip file.

Convert HEIC photos on Windows 11 using File Explorer

If you're on Windows 11, you can open HEIC files directly. Right-click the HEIC photo and select Open with, then choose Photos. The photo will open in the Windows Photos app. Click the three dots in the top right, then select Save as. Choose JPG from the format dropdown and save the file.

This method works one photo at a time, so if you have many to convert, CloudConvert (described above) will be faster.

Use free desktop software if you prefer not to upload to the web

If you don't want to upload your photos to an online converter, you can install free software on your computer instead. XnConvert (available for Windows, Mac, and Linux) lets you convert HEIC to JPG offline. Download it from xnconvert.com, install it, then open the program. Click Open, select your HEIC photo, choose JPG as the output format, and click Convert.

XnConvert also handles batch conversion: you can drag multiple HEIC files into the program at once and convert them all to JPG in a single operation. This is useful if you have dozens of photos to convert.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will converting HEIC to JPG make my photo look worse?

No. HEIC and JPG are both compressed formats, but HEIC compresses more efficiently while keeping the same visual quality. When you convert to JPG, you're not losing detail — you're just using a less efficient format. The photo will look identical to your eye.

Can I convert HEIC to JPG on my iPhone without a computer?

Yes. Use the Shortcuts app (built into iOS). Open Shortcuts, tap the plus icon, search for "Convert Image", and create a shortcut that converts HEIC to JPG. Then you can run it directly on any photo in your Photos app. Alternatively, use CloudConvert in Safari on your iPhone — it works the same way as on a computer.

What if a website says it doesn't accept HEIC files?

Convert the photo to JPG using one of the methods above, then upload the JPG instead. Most websites accept JPG. If a website rejects JPG too, the issue is usually file size, not format — try compressing the photo or taking a screenshot of it instead.

Do I need to delete my HEIC photos after converting them?

No. Converting creates a new JPG file; it doesn't delete the original HEIC. You can keep both, or delete the HEIC if you want to save storage space. On iPhone, HEIC files take up less space than JPG, so there's no storage benefit to converting and deleting.