Convert HEIC to JPG
Turn iPhone HEIC photos into JPG files that every app, form and computer opens, and see what happens to size, rotation and photo details. No upload.
How to convert HEIC to JPG
- Drop one HEIC photo on the box above, or up to 20 at once. The file picker here lists HEIC files.
- Wait a moment while the photo opens. Convert to already shows JPEG at 80%.
- Press Convert image and check the preview and the new size.
- Download the JPG, or all of them together as one ZIP.
Why your iPhone saves HEIC, and why I convert it
An iPhone saves photos as HEIC because the format fits the same picture into a smaller file than JPEG, using the compression of modern HEVC video. The trouble starts when a photo leaves the phone. Many Windows programs, older editors and upload forms do not open HEIC, and Chrome cannot show it at all. A JPG opens everywhere.
My own photos are JPGs from a Sony camera, so for the numbers on this page I used the sample photo that the libheif project publishes with its code: the riverfront of Tübingen, 1280 × 854 px, 701.3 KB. libheif is also the decoder this page brings along for browsers that cannot open HEIC themselves, Chrome among them. It runs on your device, not on a server.
What each JPG quality gave
| Quality | HEIC | JPG |
|---|---|---|
| 60% | 1280 × 854 px, 701.3 KB | 157.0 KB, 77.6% smaller |
| 80%, where the page starts | 1280 × 854 px, 701.3 KB | 268.6 KB, 61.7% smaller |
| 90% | 1280 × 854 px, 701.3 KB | 422.6 KB, 39.7% smaller |
| 100% | 1280 × 854 px, 701.3 KB | 1.1 MB, 60.2% larger |
All four JPGs are 1280 × 854 px, like the photo. Part of the saving is the sample itself: next to the main photo it holds a second full-size picture and two small previews, and the converter takes the main photo only. At 100% the JPG outgrew the whole HEIC file, which is what storing one photo in an older, less efficient format costs.
Does the photo stay upright?
A phone often stores a photo the way the sensor saw it and adds a note saying how to turn it for viewing. A converter that ignores the note gives you portraits lying on their side. To check, I added such a note to a copy of the sample, telling it to turn the picture a quarter turn. The JPG came out 854 × 1280 px and turned as the note said, so the rotation is applied before the JPG is written and the JPG needs no note of its own.
Location and other photo details
iPhone photos carry the time, the phone model and, when location is on, where the picture was taken. The JPG from this page carries none of that: the converter writes a new file from the pixels alone, and the JPGs I downloaded had no EXIF block at all. That suits a photo you are about to post or send to a stranger.
If you sort your pictures by date or by place, keep the HEIC originals next to the JPGs. Without the EXIF block, a photo app has only the file's own date to go by, which is the day you converted it.
Tips for converting iPhone photos
- Leave the quality at 80% for photos you send or upload. Choose 90% for prints or further editing.
- Convert the HEIC itself, not a screenshot of it. A screenshot has the screen's resolution, not the photo's.
- Keep the HEIC files when you need the date and place each photo was taken.
- If the upload form also has a size limit, run the JPG through the Image Compressor afterwards.
- A set of 20 photos opens one at a time, so give an older phone a little while.
Privacy
Your image never leaves your device. Conversion happens entirely in your browser, so nothing is uploaded or stored, and you do not need an account. Support for HEIC files is included on this site and also runs in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?
A little, because JPG is lossy too. At the starting 80% the sample photo came out at 268.6 KB, less than half the HEIC. For prints or more editing, 90% gave 422.6 KB with even less difference from the original.
Does HEIC to JPG keep the metadata?
Not on this page. The JPG is written from the pixels alone, so the date, the phone model and any location are left out. That protects your privacy when you share the photo; keep the HEIC if you need those details.
Why are my iPhone photos HEIC instead of JPEG?
Because HEIC stores the same photo in less space, and High Efficiency is the iPhone camera's default. In Settings, Camera, Formats, the option Most Compatible makes the camera save JPG instead, at the cost of larger files.
Is it safe to convert HEIC to JPG online?
On this page your photo is not uploaded. The decoder ships with the site and runs in your browser, so the conversion happens on your own device and the photos never reach a server, mine or anyone else's.
What is a HEIC file?
A photo in the High Efficiency Image File Format, compressed the way modern HEVC video is. iPhones use it by default. It is smaller than a JPG of the same picture, but many programs and websites still cannot open it.
Related tools and guides
- Image Converter: Convert JPEG, PNG, WebP and HEIC images directly in your browser.
- Convert AVIF to JPG: Turn an AVIF image saved from a website into a JPG that apps, editors and upload forms open. It gets bigger, and here is by how much. No upload.
- Convert JPG to PNG: Turn a JPG into a PNG for an editor, a print shop or a form that asks for PNG. Expect a bigger file and no transparent background, all in your browser.
- Convert PNG to JPG: Turn a PNG into a JPG for a form, an email or a site that will not take PNG. Transparent areas become white, all in your browser.
- Convert WebP to JPG: Turn a WebP saved from a website into a JPG that apps, editors and upload forms accept, and see what it does to the file size. All in your browser.
- Convert WebP to PNG: Turn a WebP into a PNG that keeps its transparent background, for editors, slides and apps that will not open WebP. In your browser, no upload.
- Image Compressor: Reduce JPEG, PNG and WebP file sizes while keeping quality high.
- Image Resizer: Resize images by pixels, percentage or longest side.
- I Built the Tools I Kept Looking For as a Photographer: Why the HEIC decoder runs on your device instead of a server.