Convert HEIC to JPG
Convert a HEIC photo to JPG in a browser that can decode it, such as Safari 17 or later on a supported Apple device. If this browser cannot preview your photo, use the Windows or Mac methods below. Browser conversion runs locally and removes original photo metadata.
Choose a conversion method
On Windows, check the HEIF/HEVC codec requirements, open the photo in Paint, then choose File > Save as > JPEG picture. Installing a Windows codec does not guarantee that your web browser can decode HEIC. Full steps follow.
Convert HEIC to JPG on Windows 10 and 11
Windows needs two add-ons from the Microsoft Store before Photos or Paint can open an iPhone photo: HEIF Image Extensions (free) and HEVC Video Extensions (a small paid download; some PCs ship with a free manufacturer edition). Without the HEVC one, HEIC files typically show no thumbnail and Photos asks you to install a codec.
- Install both extensions from Microsoft Store, then restart Photos or Paint.
- Open the photo in Paint — right-click the .HEIC → Open with → Paint.
- Save as JPG — File → Save as → JPEG picture.
Better: let the iPhone convert when you copy photos to the PC
If you import photos over a USB cable, the iPhone can hand Windows JPGs instead of HEICs. On the iPhone go to Settings → Photos, scroll to Transfer to Mac or PC and choose Automatic. Photos keep being taken as HEIC (saving space on the phone) but are converted as they're copied.
This setting doesn't affect iCloud downloads. If you use iCloud for Windows, open its Photos options and check the “Download High-Efficiency format photos and videos” setting (iCloud for Windows 14.2 or later); with it turned off you receive compatible JPGs.
Convert a HEIC File to JPG
Drop a .heic file below. This requires a browser that supports HEIC, such as Safari 17 or later on a supported Mac or iPhone. Most desktop builds of Chrome and Firefox can't decode HEIC at all — if that's your browser, the tool will say so clearly instead of just failing. When it can decode the file, it's re-encoded as a real JPG on a canvas, previewed here, ready to download.
Before you use this tool: Browser conversion requires native HEIC decoding, available in Safari 17+ on supported Apple systems. If the browser cannot preview your photo, use the Windows or Mac instructions above instead. The downloaded JPG contains a still image and does not retain the source photo metadata.
🔒 Nothing is uploaded — your file never leaves this deviceOn this page
Why convert HEIC to JPG
HEIC is the default photo format on iPhones since iOS 11, and it's genuinely more efficient than JPG at the same quality. The problem is compatibility: plenty of Windows software, older apps, and many websites still don't accept HEIC uploads at all. Converting to JPG trades some of that efficiency for a format that opens absolutely everywhere.
Reliable alternatives if this tool can't decode your file
- Use Safari 17 or later — open this page in Safari 17 or later on a supported Mac or iPhone and check the preview before converting.
- Use the Photos app — on iPhone or Mac, the built-in Photos app can export or share a copy of any photo as JPG directly, with no extra software needed.
- Change the camera format going forward — on iPhone, Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible makes new photos capture as JPG instead of HEIC, avoiding the problem for future photos.
Convert many HEIC photos at once on a Mac
Three built-in ways, depending on where the photos are:
- Files in Finder (AirDropped, downloaded, on a USB stick): select them, right-click → Quick Actions → Convert Image, choose JPEG and an image size, and keep Preserve Metadata ticked if you want the date and location kept. Converted copies appear next to the originals.
- Photos library: select the photos, choose File → Export → Export [number] Photos…, set Photo Kind to JPEG, and decide whether to include location information.
- Preview: open all the files together, select every thumbnail in the sidebar, then File → Export Selected Images…; click Options to set the format to JPEG.
Android, Linux and the command line
Android 10 and later can display HEIC/HEIF, so photos sent from an iPhone usually open in Google Photos and most gallery apps. Some Android phones, including several Samsung models, can also take photos in HEIF when a high-efficiency option is enabled in the camera settings; switch it off if the people you share with keep getting files they can't open.
On Linux, the libheif tools convert directly: heif-convert -q 90 IMG_4521.HEIC IMG_4521.jpg (newer libheif releases call the same tool heif-dec). To convert a whole folder: for f in *.HEIC; do heif-convert -q 90 "$f" "${f%.*}.jpg"; done. Note that iPhone files usually use an upper-case .HEIC extension, which matters on case-sensitive file systems.
ImageMagick works on Windows, macOS and Linux when built with HEIC support: magick mogrify -format jpg -quality 90 *.HEIC writes a JPG next to every HEIC in the folder.
What you keep and lose: date, location and color
- Date taken and GPS location. The browser converter above writes pixels only, so the JPG carries no camera metadata. That's a privacy plus when you're posting a photo online, but it means photo libraries may sort the converted copy by the day you converted it. To keep the original date and location, use the Mac's Convert Image action with Preserve Metadata, the Photos export, or the iPhone's Automatic transfer setting.
- Orientation. Your browser applies the iPhone's rotation flag before converting, so the JPG comes out the right way up.
- Wide color. iPhone photos are captured in the wider Display P3 color space. A browser canvas typically outputs standard sRGB, which can look marginally less saturated on a wide-gamut screen and is identical on most others.
- File size. Expect the JPG to be noticeably larger than the HEIC — HEIC's efficiency is the reason iPhones use it.
Frequently asked questions
Does converting HEIC to JPG upload my file anywhere?
No. When it works, the image is decoded and re-encoded entirely inside your browser using a canvas — the file never leaves your device or touches a server.
Why doesn't this work in my browser?
HEIC decoding support genuinely varies by browser and operating system. Safari 17 or later on supported macOS and iOS systems can decode HEIC, which is what this tool relies on. Most desktop builds of Chrome and Firefox currently can't decode HEIC at all, on any operating system — that's a real platform limitation, not a bug in this tool, and it says so plainly rather than pretending to work.
What's the easiest reliable way to convert HEIC to JPG?
On a supported iPhone or Mac, open this page in Safari 17 or later, or use the Photos app's own export/share options, which can save a copy as JPG directly. iPhones can also be set to always capture JPG instead of HEIC in Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible.
What happens to Live Photo motion or depth data?
JPG only stores a single static image, so any Live Photo motion component, depth map, or other HEIC-specific extra data is not carried over — only the still frame.
How do I stop my iPhone sending HEIC files to my Windows PC?
On the iPhone, open Settings > Photos and under Transfer to Mac or PC choose Automatic. Photos copied to a computer over USB are then converted to JPG during the transfer, while the phone keeps storing them as space-saving HEIC. To stop capturing HEIC entirely, choose Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible.
How do I open HEIC on Windows 11 so I can save it as JPG?
Install HEIF Image Extensions and HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store. After that, Photos and Paint can open HEIC files, and in Paint you can use File > Save as > JPEG picture.
Does converting HEIC to JPG keep the date and location?
With this browser tool, no: the JPG contains pixels only, with no date taken, camera or GPS data. If you need them, convert on a Mac with Finder's Quick Actions > Convert Image with Preserve Metadata ticked, export from the Photos app, or let the iPhone convert automatically when transferring to a PC.
Last updated October 1, 2026.