Why iPhone photos are HEIC (and why that's a problem)
Since iOS 11 (2017), iPhones save photos as HEIC files by default — Apple's implementation of the HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) container using HEVC compression. HEIC produces roughly half the file size of a JPG at the same visual quality, which is why Apple ships it: your Camera Roll takes up less space, iCloud syncs faster, and photos back up quicker.
The problem is that HEIC is not universally supported. Most Windows apps can't open it without a paid Microsoft extension. Android phones handle it inconsistently — many social apps and messaging platforms silently reject the upload or show a broken image. Web forms (job applications, insurance claims, government portals) usually only accept JPG or PNG. Email clients often strip or corrupt HEIC attachments. So when you AirDrop a photo to a friend on Android, send it to a family member on Windows, or upload it to a website, you often need to convert first.
How to convert HEIC to JPG on iPhone (three ways)
- Change the default (permanent fix): Settings → Camera → Formats → "Most Compatible". All new photos save as JPG. You lose HEIC's size savings but never deal with the compatibility issue again.
- Share sheet auto-convert: iOS quietly converts HEIC to JPG when you use the share sheet to email or message certain apps. Doesn't work for "save to Files" or transfer to a computer.
- Use this tool: open this page in Safari, drop the HEIC files, download JPGs. Works for any HEIC — including ones already saved to Files, iCloud Drive, or received from other iPhones. No app install, no Settings change.
How to convert HEIC to JPG on Windows or Android
On Windows: HEIC files typically show as unopenable in File Explorer. Microsoft sells a codec ($0.99) but it doesn't help for uploading to websites. Drop them into this page instead — they convert in your browser and you get JPGs you can use anywhere.
On Android: HEIC support is inconsistent by manufacturer. Samsung Gallery handles them but Google Photos on stock Android often shows "Can't open this file". Same solution — this converter works in Chrome, Samsung Internet, Firefox and any other modern Android browser.
Batch conversion — the whole camera roll at once
If you AirDropped or exported a folder of HEIC photos to a computer, dragging them all onto this page converts the whole batch. The tool processes them sequentially (to avoid running out of memory on a phone or older laptop) and shows a progress bar. Each photo takes about 1-3 seconds on modern hardware. When the batch finishes, one click on Download all saves every JPG.
Quality — how the slider affects your JPG
The quality slider controls JPEG compression: 100% is essentially lossless (the biggest files), 50% is aggressive compression (the smallest). The default of 90% is a sweet spot: files are 25-40% smaller than 100% but the difference is invisible unless you zoom into pixel detail. Drop it lower for web uploads where size matters more than pixel-perfect quality; keep it at 95%+ for printing.
Privacy — HEIC photos carry location data
iPhone HEIC files store EXIF metadata including GPS coordinates from where the photo was taken. If you upload a HEIC to a converter site, that site now knows where you were. Our converter runs entirely in your browser: your photos never reach our servers or any third party. You can verify this by opening DevTools → Network tab during conversion — the file uploads you'd expect to see simply don't exist.
By default we strip GPS and most EXIF metadata during conversion. That protects you from accidentally revealing home, work or travel locations when sharing photos publicly. If you specifically need EXIF preserved (photographers who tag with camera settings, for example), tell us.
Live Photos and HEIF variants
iPhone Live Photos are stored as a HEIC still frame plus a short MOV video. This converter takes the still frame and returns it as a JPG — the same image you see in the Photos app before the Live Photo "plays". The video component is discarded. If you need the video, use the Photos app to export it directly.
Other HEIF variants — HEIC bursts, HEIC image sequences — are handled by extracting the first frame. Panoramas and portrait- mode depth-map HEICs also work; the extra data channels are discarded when converting to a flat JPG.
Works on every device, no signup, no watermark
The converter runs in any modern browser: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Samsung Internet and Opera, on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux. No account creation, no email required, no watermark on the output JPGs, no daily limit. The tool is supported by unobtrusive display ads on this page — the conversion itself is unconditionally free.