Your iPhone saves photos as HEIC. They look fine on the phone and then refuse to open on a Windows laptop, a government upload form or an older app. The fix is to convert them to JPG. Here are the options in order of effort, from "never see HEIC again" to "convert 300 at once". For the difference between the formats, see HEIC vs JPG.
Option 1: make the iPhone shoot JPG
This stops the problem at the source. Apple's guidance:
- Open Settings > Camera > Formats.
- Choose Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPEG (and videos as H.264).
The trade-off is storage: JPEG files are generally larger than HEIC at similar quality. To go back, choose High Efficiency. This only affects new photos; ones you have already taken stay HEIC.
Option 2: let the iPhone convert when you transfer
When you import photos from an iPhone to a Mac or a PC over USB, the iPhone can convert them to JPEG for you. In Settings > Photos (under Apps > Photos on newer versions of iOS), near the bottom, choose Automatic under "Transfer to Mac or PC". Choosing Keep Originals imports the HEIC files unchanged. When you share via AirDrop, Messages or email to a device that does not support the format, the photo may also be sent in a compatible format automatically. That behaviour is not guaranteed in every app, so do not depend on it for a form upload.
Option 3: convert on a Mac
Open the HEIC photo in Preview or Photos and choose File > Export, then pick JPEG (or PNG) as the format and save. Apple documents this approach for converting HEIF images manually. In Preview you can select many images in the sidebar and export them together, and you can pick the quality with a slider.
Option 4: open or convert on Windows
Windows does not always open HEIC out of the box. The usual route is to install the free HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store. Microsoft's support notes say that if the Photos app still cannot open HEIC files, you may also need HEVC Video Extensions, and then to reinstall HEIF Image Extensions and restart the app. Newer builds of the Photos app may open HEIC without any extension, so try opening a file first.
Opening the files only lets you view them. A web form that insists on JPG still needs real JPG files, so you will need to convert (Photos or Paint can "Save as" JPG one photo at a time, which is slow for a batch).
Option 5: batch-convert in your browser, with no upload
If you have a folder of photos and want JPGs from any device, a browser converter is the quickest way. The point of the exercise is that it should not send your photos anywhere, because they are pictures of your home, family and documents.
- Open the HEIC to JPG converter.
- Drop in your HEIC files, a few or hundreds.
- Leave the quality at 90%, a good default, or move the slider. Higher gives larger files, lower gives smaller ones.
- Download each JPG or the whole batch as one zip.
The conversion runs in your browser using code bundled into the page. Open the Network tab of your developer tools before you start and you will see that nothing is uploaded; the verification guide shows how.
What happens to location and date
This is the detail most converters do not tell you. HEIC photos carry the same EXIF data as JPEGs: GPS, time and device. How a converter treats it differs:
- Apple's export and Automatic transfer keep the metadata by default, so the JPG still says where you were.
- Our converter does not carry metadata over. It writes pixels only, so the JPG has no location. It also loses the "date taken", which is why your gallery may sort converted files by the date you converted them.
Neither is "right"; it depends on the job. For a photo you are going to post publicly, no location is what you want. For an archive you want sorted by date, convert with Apple's tools. If you convert with Apple's tools and then want the location gone, run the JPGs through the metadata remover.
Quality and file size
| Setting | What you get |
|---|---|
| 90% (default in our tool) | Visually the same as the original for normal viewing; a file typically larger than the HEIC |
| 70–80% | Noticeably smaller; fine for sharing and web forms |
| Below 60% | Visible artefacts in skies and skin |
JPG files are usually bigger than the HEIC they came from, because HEIC compresses more efficiently. That is normal, not a sign something went wrong.
Which option should you choose?
- You never want HEIC again: Option 1.
- You move photos to a PC by cable: Option 2.
- A handful of photos on a Mac: Option 3.
- A form or website that needs JPG, from any device: Option 5.
Check the file you are sending
If the photos are going to strangers, check them for location first. The metadata remover lists what a file carries before you share it.
Sources
Try it yourself
Use the HEIC to JPG Converter. It runs in your browser and your files stay on your device.