Skip to content
ConvertFileConvertFile

How to convert HEIC photos on iPhone and Windows

Checked against our tools on 19 October 2026

For photos you already have, open HEIC to JPG in any browser, add them and download the JPGs one at a time or as a ZIP. Your browser does the conversion, so the photos aren't uploaded, and they come out upright with their GPS location removed. To stop the problem at the source, set your iPhone to Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible, and new photos will be saved as JPG.

Go straight to the tool: Image converter, JPG and PNG to PDF

Why your photos are HEIC

Since iOS 11 in 2017, iPhones have saved photos as HEIC by default, because it takes about half the space of a JPG at the same quality. The trouble starts when a photo leaves Apple's world. Plenty of upload forms only accept JPG or PNG, and Windows can't open HEIC until you install an extension.

On the iPhone

  • Stop new photos being HEIC: Settings > Camera > Formats, then Most Compatible. Photos you've already taken stay HEIC.
  • Get JPGs when you copy photos to a computer with a cable: Settings > Apps > Photos (just Settings > Photos on iOS 17 and earlier), then under Transfer to Mac or PC choose Automatic.
  • Convert photos you already have: open HEIC to JPG in Safari, tap the box and choose them from your photo library, then download the JPGs. Several at once come as one ZIP, which the Files app opens when you tap it.

On Windows 10 and 11

To view HEIC photos, install HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store; it's free. If Photos still says it needs the HEVC extension, install HEVC Video Extensions as well, which Microsoft charges a small amount for.

Once HEIF Image Extensions is installed, Paint can open a HEIC photo and save it as a JPG, one at a time. For a batch, or on a work PC where you can't install anything, use HEIC to JPG in Chrome or Edge instead. It doesn't need either extension.

On a Mac

  • One photo: open it in Preview, choose File > Export, set Format to JPEG and save.
  • Several: select them in Finder, Control-click, choose Quick Actions > Convert Image and pick JPEG.

Converting in your browser

HEIC to JPG works the same on a phone, a Mac or a PC. Add the photos, leave the quality at 90 unless you need smaller files, and select Convert. The results show each photo's size before and after, and Compare lets you check one against the original. You can convert 5 photos at a time without an account, or 10 with a free account.

Expect the JPGs to be bigger than the HEICs, often 3 to 5 MB for a 2 MB photo at quality 90, because JPG compresses less well. Safari reads HEIC on its own; in Chrome, Edge and Firefox the first HEIC photo downloads a decoder of about 2 MB. Either way the photo is decoded on your device.

If you need a PDF, not JPGs

Skip the conversion. JPG and PNG to PDF takes HEIC photos directly and puts one on each page. Our guide to combining phone photos into one PDF covers the page settings.

Try it