Why iPhone photos are HEIC, and when to convert them
Since iOS 11, iPhones save photos as HEIC when the camera is set to 'High Efficiency', which is the default. HEIC files are roughly half the size of JPGs at similar quality, so they save storage, but many upload forms, older Windows PCs, websites and editing apps still can't open them. Converting to JPG makes a photo work almost everywhere; PNG keeps every pixel exactly, at the cost of a much bigger file.
Drop in as many photos as you like, choose JPG or PNG and the JPG quality, and download them one by one or together as a ZIP. The default quality of 85 is hard to tell from the original for photos. If you'd rather your iPhone saved JPGs in the first place, go to Settings, then Camera, then Formats, and choose 'Most Compatible'. The conversion runs in your browser, so your photos are never uploaded.
Choosing between JPG and PNG
JPG is the right choice for photos: it compresses photographic detail efficiently, and at quality 85–95 the result is visually identical to the original at a fraction of the size. Share it, upload it, print it at normal sizes. It handles anything destined for the web.
PNG is lossless (every pixel is preserved exactly) but the files are much larger. It's the better pick for screenshots, graphics with text, or images you'll edit further, where JPG's compression artifacts would accumulate. For most iPhone photos, though, JPG is what you want.
How to Use HEIC to JPG
- 1Drag and drop your HEIC or HEIF files, or click to browse: as many as you like.
- 2Choose JPG (smaller) or PNG (lossless), and the JPG quality.
- 3Click 'Convert'.
- 4Watch the progress as files convert one after another.
- 5Download files one by one, or all of them as a ZIP.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is HEIC/HEIF?
High Efficiency Image Format: the default photo format on iPhones since iOS 11. It makes smaller files than JPG at similar quality, but many apps, websites and Windows PCs can't open it.
Can I convert many files at once?
Yes. Files are converted one after another with progress shown; any file that fails says why, and the rest still convert. Files with the same name are numbered in the ZIP instead of overwriting each other.
Will I lose quality converting to JPG?
JPG is lossy, but at the default quality of 85 the difference is negligible for photos. Choose 95–100, or PNG, to keep the most detail.
How do I stop my iPhone saving photos as HEIC?
Open Settings, then Camera, then Formats, and choose 'Most Compatible'. New photos are saved as JPG; photos you've already taken stay HEIC, which is what this converter is for.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. Each file is converted in your browser, on your device, and nothing is sent to a server.
Why can't I just rename .HEIC to .JPG?
Renaming doesn't change the file's contents. It's still HEIC data with a JPG name, and most software will refuse to open it or show an error. Conversion actually re-encodes the image pixels into the JPG format.
Do converted photos keep their metadata?
Location and camera data are stripped during conversion, which is good for privacy when sharing online. The image dimensions and visual content are preserved.
What if a file fails to convert?
The tool tells you which file failed and why: usually a corrupted file or an unsupported variant. The remaining files continue converting normally, so one bad file never blocks the batch.
About HEIC to JPG
iPhones save photos as HEIC to save space, but plenty of apps, websites and Windows computers can't open them. This converter turns them into JPG or PNG in your browser: no upload and no account. Browsers that can read HEIC themselves (such as Safari) convert directly; elsewhere the heic2any library does the decoding.
The incompatibility is a practical headache: you try to attach a photo to a job application, upload it to a government portal, or open it on a Windows PC, and get an error or a blank thumbnail. Converting to JPG (a format everything has opened for thirty years) sidesteps the problem entirely.
Batch conversion matters because HEIC photos rarely arrive one at a time. A holiday album, a property listing shoot, or a batch of product photos can mean dozens of files. Dropping them all in at once, with per-file progress and a single ZIP download at the end, turns a tedious chore into a two-minute task.