How to convert HEIC photos to JPG – free and without uploading

01

Why your photo is a HEIC file

HEIC is the photo format iPhones use by default, and many Android phones offer it as a “high efficiency” option. It stores the picture with the same compression family as modern video, so a HEIC file is usually much smaller than a JPG of similar quality.

The catch is support. Websites, upload forms, older Windows programs and many office tools still expect JPG. When a HEIC file does not open, the photo is fine; the program simply cannot read the format. A JPG copy is the most widely accepted way to share it.

02

Convert HEIC to JPG in four steps

1. Choose the format and a limit

   Keep “JPG” under “Format”. Under “Size limit”, choose “1 MB” for email and messengers. To keep almost all detail, type 5000 into “Other limit in KB” instead.

2. Add your photos

   Select “Choose images” and pick one or several HEIC files. The tool reads them in your browser; nothing is uploaded. Up to 100 photos can be added in one go.

3. Check each result

   Every photo gets a card with the new file size, the pixel size and a green badge when it fits your limit. The picture is turned upright automatically, as your phone shows it.

4. Download

   Select “Download” on a card, or “Download all (ZIP)” for every photo at once. Your original HEIC files stay unchanged.

03

Keep the quality you need

The size limit decides how much detail stays. For a phone screen or an email, 1 MB is usually plenty. For printing or editing, set a generous limit such as 5000 KB; the tool then uses its highest quality and keeps the original pixel size up to 4,096 pixels on the long side.

Do not be surprised if the JPG is larger than the HEIC file. That is normal: JPG needs more bytes for the same picture. In our recorded example, an 815 KB HEIC photo became a 995 KB JPG with 2,048 × 1,536 pixels.

04

Which browsers can read HEIC

Safari opens HEIC by itself. In Chrome and Edge, the tool uses its own HEIC reader together with the device’s video decoder, which works on most current computers and phones. If a browser cannot decode the photo, the tool says so instead of failing silently; then open the page in Chrome, Edge or Safari.

• Live Photos: only the still picture is converted; the short video part stays on your phone.
• Very large 48-megapixel photos are scaled to 4,096 pixels on the long side.
• Screenshots on an iPhone are already PNG files and need no conversion.

05

Avoid HEIC for future photos

On an iPhone, open Settings › Camera › Formats and choose “Most Compatible”. New photos are then saved as JPG, at the cost of more storage. Photos you already took stay HEIC, so convert those with the steps above.

If you copy photos to a computer with a cable, Settings › Photos › “Transfer to Mac or PC” set to “Automatic” lets the iPhone hand over compatible JPG copies. On Windows, Microsoft’s HEIF and HEVC extensions from the Microsoft Store can display HEIC directly; one of them may cost a small fee.