Processed entirely on your device — nothing is uploaded
How to use the heic to jpg
- 1Drop your .heic or .heif files into the box above.
- 2Choose JPG for maximum compatibility, PNG for lossless, or WebP for the smallest files.
- 3Wait a moment while the decoder loads on first use.
- 4Download the converted images.
Why your iPhone photos will not open
Since iOS 11, iPhones have stored photos as HEIC — High Efficiency Image Container — using the HEVC codec. It is a genuinely good format: roughly half the file size of JPEG at the same quality, with support for 10-bit colour, transparency and image sequences.
The problem is that support outside Apple's ecosystem is patchy. Windows requires a codec extension from the Microsoft Store that has at times been a paid download. Many web upload forms reject the file type outright. Older photo editors, print kiosks and content management systems do not recognise it at all. So a photo that looks perfect on the phone becomes unusable the moment it is sent anywhere else.
Browsers, notably, cannot decode HEIC natively either — which is why this tool loads a WebAssembly build of libheif, the reference decoder, rather than relying on the built-in image pipeline as the other converters here do. That is a roughly two-megabyte download, fetched once when you first convert something.
What you give up by converting
File size, mainly. A HEIC photo converted to JPG at quality 90 will typically be one and a half to two times larger, because JPEG's compression is thirty years older and much less efficient. That is the price of universal compatibility.
Some HEIC files also carry more than one image. Live Photos bundle a short video alongside the still; burst captures hold a sequence; portrait shots may include a depth map. This converter extracts the primary image, which is the still photograph you see in the camera roll — the extra data is not carried across.
10-bit colour depth is reduced to 8-bit when converting to JPEG or PNG. On most images this is invisible; on wide-gamut HDR photographs with subtle gradients you may see slight banding.
Stopping your phone producing HEIC in the first place
If you regularly need to share photos with people on Windows or Android, it is easier to change the setting than to convert every time. On iOS, go to Settings → Camera → Formats and choose "Most Compatible". New photos are then captured as JPEG.
That does not convert the photos already on the device, and it does mean larger files. There is also a related setting under Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC; setting it to "Automatic" makes the phone convert on export, while "Keep Originals" sends the HEIC untouched.
For photos already taken, converting on your own machine — as here — avoids uploading a camera roll to a third party, which is worth something given how much personal material a photo library contains.
Which output format to choose
JPG is the right default. It is what the systems rejecting your HEIC are expecting, and at quality 90 the visible difference from the original is negligible.
PNG is lossless, which sounds appealing but is usually the wrong choice for a photograph: expect files several times larger than the HEIC with no visible improvement, because the HEIC was already lossy and PNG faithfully preserves its artefacts.
WebP splits the difference — noticeably smaller than JPEG at the same quality, and supported by every modern browser. Choose it when the destination is a website you control, and JPG when it is anything else.
Frequently asked questions
Why can Windows not open my HEIC files?
Windows needs the HEIF and HEVC codec extensions from the Microsoft Store, which have historically not been installed by default. Converting to JPG avoids the problem entirely.
Will converting reduce quality?
Slightly, since JPEG re-encodes. At quality 90 the difference is not visible on a normal photograph.
Why is the JPG larger than the HEIC?
HEIC compression is far more efficient than JPEG's. Expect one and a half to two times the size — that is the cost of compatibility.
What happens to a Live Photo?
The still image is converted; the attached video segment is not carried across, since JPG and PNG hold a single frame.
How do I stop my iPhone saving HEIC?
Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. New photos will be captured as JPEG.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. The libheif decoder runs as WebAssembly in your browser, so photos never leave your device.