How to Convert HEIC to JPG on iPhone, Windows, Mac and Android

Short answer: if you have a few photos and want a JPG now, convert them in your browser. If this keeps happening, change the iPhone camera setting to Most Compatible so new photos arrive as JPG. Windows needs two small Microsoft add-ons before it can read HEIC at all, and a Mac can export JPG from Preview with no extra software.

HEIC is what an iPhone saves by default. It is a good format for the phone, and a poor one the moment you try to attach a photo to a form that only accepts JPG. Here are the ways out, ordered from fastest to most permanent.

Method 1: Convert in your browser (any device)

This works the same on Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone and Chromebook, and needs nothing installed.

1. Open the HEIC to JPG converter.
2. Drop in your .heic or .heif files, or pick them from your device.
3. Press convert. A decoder is fetched the first time and then runs locally, so the first photo can take a moment longer.
4. Download the JPG. If you converted several, use Download All, which saves them one by one rather than as a ZIP.

Two details matter for photos. The file is decoded and re-encoded inside your browser, so it is not uploaded anywhere. And the new JPG does not carry the camera details or GPS location of the original, because the image is drawn fresh. That is usually what you want before sharing a photo, and worth knowing if you were hoping to keep the capture time.

Method 2: On iPhone, stop creating HEIC

If you convert every week, fix it at the source. Open Settings, tap Camera, tap Formats, and choose Most Compatible. Apple’s own guidance describes it this way: from then on the camera captures in JPEG and H.264, as explained on Apple’s page about HEIF and HEVC media.

Two limits. It only affects photos you take afterwards, not the ones already in your library. And it has a cost: at the same visual quality a JPG is meaningfully larger than a HEIC. In our measurements HEIC saved 23-30% at quality 80, so a library shot as JPG takes up more room.

Apple also notes that when you import HEIF or HEVC media from an iPhone into Photos, Image Capture or a PC, the media might be converted to JPEG automatically. Whether that happens depends on how you connect, so test it with one photo before you rely on it.

Method 3: On Windows 10 and 11

Windows does not read HEIC out of the box on every machine. Microsoft’s guidance for the Photos app is that you need the HEIF Image Extensions (free) and the HEVC Video Extensions (about $0.99 in the Store), and that HEVC must be installed to view HEIC images even if you never touch video. Some PCs ship with the HEVC extension from the manufacturer, so check before paying.

Once both are installed:

1. Open the photo in Paint, or in Photos.
2. In Paint choose File, then Save as, then JPEG picture.
3. Repeat per photo. This is fine for three or four, tedious for thirty.

For a batch, or if you would rather not install a paid add-on, the browser method above avoids the codecs entirely, because the decoding is done by the page rather than by Windows.

Method 4: On a Mac

A Mac opens HEIC natively, so this is the easy one.

1. Open the photo in Preview. To do several at once, select them all in Finder and open them together; they appear in one Preview window with a sidebar.
2. Choose File, then Export (or Export Selected Images for the batch).
3. Set Format to JPEG, move the Quality slider, and save.

Pick the quality deliberately. Higher means a bigger file; for a photo that is going to be emailed or uploaded, a setting around the middle-to-high range is a sensible starting point.

On Android

Android can read HEIC itself: its documentation lists HEIF decoding from Android 8.0 onward, and Android 10 added native camera support for the format. So most gallery apps open the photo without help. The trouble starts when a website or an older program refuses the file. For that, use Method 1 on the phone itself: open the converter in the browser, pick the photo, and download the JPG.

Should it be JPG or PNG?

JPG for almost everything: email, forms, social posts, slides. Choose PNG only when the picture still has editing ahead of it, when the destination accepts only PNG, or when the image has transparent areas, because JPG has no way to store transparency. For those cases use the HEIC to PNG converter. Expect a much larger file: in our tests a 701 KB HEIC became a 2.2 MB PNG.

If a conversion fails

• “Could not be decoded.” The file is damaged, or a messaging app altered it on the way. Try the original from the phone.
• The converter will not accept the file. Check the extension. Only .heic and .heif are taken, and a photo renamed to something else usually fails.
• The photo is huge after converting. Normal, as described above. If it must fit an upload limit, run the JPG through an image compressor.
• The photo looks rotated. Open the original on the phone first and check that it displays upright there, then convert again.

About this guide

The Windows, iPhone and Android points come from Apple’s, Microsoft’s and Android’s own documentation, linked above where they are specific. The size figures are from our own tests described in the HEIC vs JPG comparison. Store prices and which extensions come pre-installed vary by device and over time, so treat the Windows details as the part most likely to change.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert HEIC to JPG on Windows 10 or 11?

Install Microsoft's HEIF Image Extensions and HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store so Windows can read the file, open the photo in Paint or Photos, and save it as JPEG. If you only need a few photos, converting in a browser tool skips the installs.

Why are my iPhone photos suddenly HEIC?

iPhones capture in the High Efficiency format by default, which saves HEIC photos. The files do not change when you move them, so they keep arriving as HEIC on a PC or in an upload form until you change the camera setting or convert them.

Why can't I save a HEIC photo as JPG?

Usually because the program you are using cannot decode HEIC at all, so it has nothing to re-encode. On Windows that is a missing codec. In a web form it is an unsupported file type. Convert the photo somewhere that can read HEIC, then use the JPG.

Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?

Slightly, because JPG is lossy and the photo is encoded a second time. At a high quality setting the added damage is small, but the JPG is typically larger than the HEIC. Transparency is the one thing that cannot survive: choose PNG if the image has transparent areas.

Will an online converter upload my photos?

Not this one. The decoder runs inside the page in your browser and the photos never leave your device. Check that for any tool you use, because camera-roll photos are personal.