How to Convert HEIC to JPG (iPhone Photos)
4 min read
Since iOS 11, iPhones save photos as HEIC — a format that stores stunning quality in half the space of JPG. The catch: Windows apps, many websites, email systems and older Android phones still refuse to open it.
Converting HEIC to JPG solves compatibility instantly. Done in the browser, it is also private: your photos never travel to a server.
1. Why iPhones use HEIC
HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) uses the same compression advances as modern video. A 48 MP iPhone shot that would be 15 MB as JPG fits in about 4 MB as HEIC, with HDR and burst sequences included.
Apple, Dropbox and Google Photos handle it natively. Problems start with Windows Photo Viewer, many government upload portals, older TVs and printers, and some web forms.
2. Convert in the browser, step by step
Open the HEIC to JPG tool and add up to 10 photos. Each file is decoded on your device with EXIF orientation applied — so portrait shots never arrive sideways — then re-encoded as JPG at your chosen quality.
Quality 90% is the best default: visually identical to the HEIC with a modest file size. Drop to 80% for sharing and messaging.
3. When to choose PNG instead
JPG is right for sharing, uploading and archiving everyday shots. Choose HEIC to PNG only when you plan to edit heavily — PNG is lossless, so repeated saves never degrade it — at the cost of much larger files.
4. Stop the problem at the source (optional)
If compatibility matters more than storage, tell your iPhone to shoot JPG: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. New photos will save as JPG while existing HEIC files stay as they are.
For photos already taken, batch-convert them once with the tool above and keep the JPGs alongside the originals.
- High Efficiency = HEIC (small files, wide Apple support)
- Most Compatible = JPG (works everywhere, bigger files)
- Transfer to Mac/PC via USB uses your originals either way
Tools used in this guide
FAQ
Yes — unlimited conversions run entirely in your browser, with no account and no watermark.
At 90%+ quality the difference is invisible. JPG is technically lossy, so keep your HEIC originals archived.
They should not: Piclizer applies the photo’s EXIF orientation during decoding. If a file arrives sideways, its orientation tag was already stripped before upload.
Yes — the tool runs in any modern browser on Windows, Mac, Android or iPhone itself.