HEIC to JPG Converter guide
Turn iPhone HEIC photos into JPG or PNG files that open everywhere: Windows, Android, upload forms and print shops. Drop in one photo or two hundred. Conversion happens on your device, so nothing is uploaded and there is no batch cap.
What HEIC is and why your photos are in it
HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the default photo format on iPhones since iOS 11. It uses the HEVC video codec to compress still images, and it's genuinely good: a HEIC photo is usually 40-50% smaller than a JPG of the same visible quality, and it can hold extras like depth maps and Live Photo frames.
The problem is support. Windows needs a paid or hidden extension to open HEIC, most web upload forms reject it, older Android phones can't read it, and plenty of printing kiosks, government portals and job sites only accept JPG or PNG. So you end up converting.
How this converter works (and why it doesn't upload)
Most HEIC converters upload your photos to their server, convert them there, and send them back. That means your family pictures, IDs and receipts pass through a stranger's machine, and it's why those sites cap you at a few files or a daily quota: server time costs them money.
This page downloads a small HEIC decoder (libheif compiled to run in the browser, about 1.3 MB) the first time you drop a file. From then on, decoding happens on your own CPU. No upload, no limit, and it keeps working if you go offline after the page loads. The trade-off is speed: a modern laptop converts a 12 MP photo in one to three seconds, while an older phone can take longer. Files are processed one at a time so a batch of 200 won't exhaust memory.
JPG or PNG: which to choose
Pick JPG for almost everything: sharing, email, uploads, printing. At 90% quality you won't see a difference from the original, and files are typically 1.5 to 3 MB for a 12 MP iPhone shot. Drop to 80% if you need to squeeze under an upload limit; go to 95-100% only for photos you plan to edit heavily.
Pick PNG when a site explicitly requires it or you want a lossless master for editing. Be ready for big files: a 12 MP photo as PNG is often 15-25 MB, several times the size of the original HEIC. PNG doesn't make a photo sharper than the HEIC was; it just stops further loss.
Worked example: getting photos onto a Windows PC
You AirDropped or cabled 60 photos from an iPhone to Windows and they show up as .heic files that won't preview. Select all 60 in the file picker here (or drag the folder's contents in), leave JPG at 90%, and let the batch run. Each finished photo shows a thumbnail and its before and after size. Press Download all when it's done. Your browser may ask once to allow multiple downloads; say yes.
Want to avoid the problem next time? On the iPhone go to Settings, Camera, Formats and choose Most Compatible to shoot JPG directly, or Settings, Photos, Transfer to Mac or PC and pick Automatic so iOS converts during USB transfer. Both cost you storage or transfer control, so plenty of people keep HEIC and convert only when needed.
Pitfalls and what to expect
Metadata: converted files don't keep the original EXIF data such as GPS location, camera model and timestamp. For privacy that's a bonus when posting online. If you need dates preserved for a photo library, keep the HEIC originals.
Live Photos and bursts: a HEIC can contain several images. The converter keeps the primary still. The motion part of a Live Photo is a separate .mov file and isn't touched.
"Not a HEIC file" errors usually mean the file was already converted by iOS or a cloud service and just kept the .heic name, or it's actually a JPG. Open it normally; you may not need this tool at all. A "could not decode" error means the file is damaged or uses a rare HEIF variant, which happens with some Samsung and camera-app exports.
Colors can look very slightly different from the Photos app, because iPhones shoot in a wide Display P3 color space and JPG output is standard sRGB. It's usually invisible unless you compare side by side on a wide-gamut screen.
How we calculate: sources
Frequently asked questions
Are my photos uploaded to a server?
No. The HEIC decoder runs inside your browser, so your photos are converted on your own device and never uploaded. It even works offline once the page has loaded.
How many HEIC files can I convert at once?
There is no limit. Files are converted one after another to keep memory use low, so big batches just take a little longer.
Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?
Slightly, because JPG is lossy, but at the default 90% quality the difference is not visible. Choose PNG if you need a lossless copy, at the cost of much larger files.
Why does my iPhone save photos as HEIC?
HEIC files are roughly half the size of JPGs at similar quality. To shoot JPG instead, go to Settings, Camera, Formats and choose Most Compatible.
Can I convert HEIC to PNG?
Yes. Pick PNG under Convert to. PNG is lossless but a 12 MP photo can be 15-25 MB.
Is the photo location (EXIF) kept?
No. Converted files do not keep EXIF metadata such as GPS location and camera model, which is handy before posting photos online. Keep the originals if you need that data.
Why do I get a 'Not a HEIC file' error?
The file is already a normal image (often a JPG with a .heic name) or was converted by iOS during transfer. Open it directly; it may not need converting.