Since iOS 11, iPhones and iPads save photos as HEIC by default. The format stores the same picture in noticeably less space than JPG, which is good for your storage. It is bad news when a Windows PC, an online form or an older program refuses to open the file. Converting to JPG fixes that.
Does converting to JPG lose quality?
JPG uses a different compression, so the conversion re-encodes the image. The default quality is 90 out of 100, and the result looks the same as the original at any normal viewing size. Lower it to 80 for noticeably smaller files. Photos are turned upright using the orientation the iPhone recorded, so nothing comes out sideways. The JPG will usually be larger than the HEIC file; that is the price of compatibility.
What about Live Photos, depth and HDR?
A Live Photo is a still image plus a short video. The conversion keeps the still image. Portrait mode depth data and HDR gain maps are not carried into a standard JPG, so you get the normal photo as your camera roll shows it. HEIC files that hold a burst or several images give you the primary image.
What about the location in my photos?
iPhone photos usually carry the GPS position where they were taken. The JPG is written without the original EXIF data, so the location, camera details and date taken are not carried over. That is useful when you post photos publicly. If your photo library sorts by date taken, keep the HEIC originals.
Where are my files processed?
HEIC decoding runs on our server with the libheif library, because most browsers cannot open HEIC. Your photos are uploaded over an encrypted connection, converted in Germany and deleted with the JPGs automatically within two hours.
What are the limits?
Photos up to 50 MB are free without an account, within a daily allowance of 20 server jobs, and up to 5 photos at a time come back together in a ZIP. For a whole holiday album, Pro or credits take hundreds of photos in one batch, and the pipeline builder can resize them in the same run.
How to convert HEIC to JPG
- Drop your .heic or .heif photos onto the drop zone.
- Keep quality 90, or lower it for smaller files, and click Convert.
- Download the JPG, or the ZIP if you converted several.
FAQ
How do I stop my iPhone saving photos as HEIC?
Go to Settings, Camera, Formats and choose Most Compatible. New photos will be saved as JPG.
Why do my HEIC files turn into JPG when I email them from the iPhone?
iOS converts them automatically in some sharing paths. Files copied by cable or cloud sync stay HEIC.
Can I convert HEIC to PNG instead?
Convert to JPG here at quality 100, then use Convert Image. PNG files from photos will be large.
Can I convert HEIC videos?
iPhone videos are HEVC, not HEIC. Use MOV to MP4 for those.