Convert HEIC to JPG
iPhones save photos as HEIC, which Windows, many websites and most upload forms still refuse. Drop your HEIC photos here and get ordinary JPGs that open everywhere, at full resolution. The conversion happens in your browser, so your personal photos are never uploaded.
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Results
How to convert HEIC to JPG
- Drop one or more .heic or .heif photos from an iPhone or iPad.
- Choose JPG for photos that need to open anywhere, PNG for lossless, or WebP for websites.
- Leave quality at 90 unless you need smaller files, and set a max width only if you want to shrink them.
- Convert and download each photo, or all of them as a ZIP.
What HEIC is and why it causes trouble
Since iOS 11 in 2017, iPhones have saved photos as HEIC by default. HEIC is the High Efficiency Image File format, a container that stores images compressed with HEVC, the same codec used for modern video. The result is impressive: a HEIC photo is often around half the size of a JPG of the same quality, which is why Apple chose it. The problem is everything outside Apple. Windows needs an extra codec before it can show HEIC files, most websites refuse them on upload, many email clients show them as attachments that will not preview, and plenty of printing services, job portals and government forms simply say the file type is not supported.
JPG, by contrast, opens on every device made in the last thirty years. Converting is the quickest way to make an iPhone photo usable anywhere.
What the converter does
Each HEIC file is decoded in your browser by a WebAssembly build of libheif, the open-source HEIF library, and then saved in the format you choose. The decoder is about 340 KB and is downloaded once, the first time you convert, then cached. Nothing about your photo is sent anywhere: decoding, resizing and saving all happen on your device.
| Output | Choose it when |
|---|---|
| JPG | The photo needs to open anywhere: Windows, email, upload forms, printing. |
| PNG | You want a lossless copy to edit further. Expect large files. |
| WebP | The photo is going on a website. Smaller than JPG at the same quality. |
Quality and file size
Quality 90 is the right default. At that setting a JPG is visually identical to the HEIC it came from. The JPG will usually be larger, often 1.5 to 2 times the size, because JPG is a less efficient format. If you need the photos smaller, lower the quality to 80, or set a maximum width: 2000 pixels is plenty for screens and most prints, and a full 12 or 48 megapixel iPhone photo is far larger than most uses need. If a form has a strict size limit, use the compress to KB tool instead, which accepts HEIC directly.
Bursts, Live Photos and metadata
Some HEIC files contain several images, such as burst shots or image sequences. Choose every frame to export each one as its own file. A Live Photo is two files on the iPhone, a HEIC still and a short MOV video; only the still is in the HEIC, so only the still is converted.
The converted photo is drawn and saved fresh, so metadata is not copied across. That includes GPS location, which is worth knowing before you share a photo taken at home: the JPG from this tool does not reveal where it was taken.
Stopping the problem at the source
If you regularly send photos to Windows users or upload them to websites, you can tell the iPhone to shoot JPG instead. Open Settings, then Camera, then Formats, and choose Most Compatible. Photos already on the phone stay HEIC. There is also a setting under Settings, Photos, Transfer to Mac or PC: choosing Automatic makes the iPhone convert to JPG when you copy photos to a computer by cable, though it does not help with photos sent by messaging apps or cloud storage.
Typical uses
- Opening iPhone photos on a Windows laptop without installing codecs.
- Uploading a photo to a job portal, school application or online form that rejects HEIC.
- Sending photos to a printing service or photo lab.
- Preparing product or property photos taken on an iPhone for a website.
Frequently asked questions
Are my photos uploaded?
No. Decoding and compression happen in your browser, on your own device. The photos never leave it, which matters for ID photos and personal pictures.
Why can’t I open HEIC photos on Windows?
HEIC uses the HEVC video codec to compress images, and Windows only reads it with an extra codec from the Microsoft Store. Most websites and upload forms do not accept it at all. Converting to JPG removes the problem everywhere.
Do I lose quality converting HEIC to JPG?
At quality 90 the difference is not visible. The JPG will usually be larger than the HEIC, because HEIC compresses more efficiently. Choose PNG if you need a lossless copy.
What about Live Photos and burst shots?
The HEIC file holds the still image. Choose every frame to export all images stored in a burst or sequence file. The short video part of a Live Photo is a separate file and is not included.
Is location data kept?
No. The photo is redrawn and saved fresh, so metadata such as GPS location and camera details is not carried over. That makes the JPG safer to share.
How do I stop my iPhone saving HEIC?
In Settings, Camera, Formats, choose Most Compatible. New photos are then saved as JPG. Existing photos stay HEIC, which is what this tool is for.
Your files never leave your device
Every tool on Squishly Tools is 100% free and runs entirely inside your browser. Your images and documents are processed on your own computer and are never uploaded to a server. There are no accounts, no watermarks and no catch.