In 2017, Apple introduced a new default photo format for the iPhone, HEIC. There’s nothing wrong with this highly efficient format (which literally stands for High Efficiency Image Container): it powers Live Photos and Apple’s excellent image post-processing, and it still manages to take up less space than JPG, but it can sometimes be a pain.
While HEIC works well if you’re sharing a photo between other Apple devices, you’ll often run into a problem when you need to upload a photo to an online form or open it on Windows: it’s often not compatible and won’t open.
There are a few ways to handle this. You can use a workaround to convert HEIC images to JPG (or JPEG) on your iPhone, or you can adjust your settings and go back to taking photos in JPG format. If the photo is already on your Mac or Windows PC, you also have some options, including opening the photo natively on your PC. Here are your options.
Change the default photo format on your iPhone
If you don’t like the HEIC format, the first thing you should do is change the default format of the Camera app to JPG. Go to Settings > Pictures > Formats and move on to the “Most compatible”. Now, all new photos you take will be saved in JPG format, making it much easier to share them anywhere.
There’s also a special mode in Settings that automatically converts photos to JPG when sharing on Windows or Mac, but keeps them in HEIC format on iPhone (which saves storage space). To enable this feature, go to Settings > Pictures > Transfer to Mac or PC and choose the “Automatic” option.
Use Finder Feature on Mac to Convert HEIC to JPG
If you’re using a Mac running macOS Monterey or later, there’s a quick image conversion tool built into the Finder app that supports multiple images at once. Select HEIC photos, right clickand go to Quick Actions > Convert an image. Here, choose the “JPEG” format, then click the ” buttonConvert to JPEG” option.
On an older Mac, you can use the Preview app. Open the image in the Preview app and go to Deposit > Export. In the Deposit In the drop-down menu, choose “JPG“option, press the button”To safeguard” and Preview will save the JPG version of the image to the chosen destination.
Quickly convert HEIC image to JPG on your phone using Files app
A quick way to convert HEIC photos to JPG right on your iPhone is to use the Files app. It’s as simple as copying and pasting: Open the Photos app on your iPhone and select the photos you want to convert. Then press the button Share icon and choose the option “Copy photos” option.
Go to the Files app, choose the On my iPhone location, then create a new folder. Long press on an empty space, then tap the “Dough“. HEIC photos will now appear as JPGs and you can share them in any app you want. If you want to put them back in the Photos app as JPGs, tap the Share button and choose “Save the image.“
This method is best reserved for a few photos at a time, as it becomes exhausting for a large batch.
Use the Documents app to share JPG files without conversion
You’ll find a plethora of HEIC to JPG converter apps on the App Store, but they might require a subscription, and it might not be safe to entrust your entire photo library to a random app.
If you want to use an app to do this, we suggest using the Documents by Readdle appwhich comes from a trusted company. It has a built-in photo library and converts HEIC images to JPG by default, so you don’t even have to wait to manually convert and duplicate images. Open the app, go to “Photo albums“, choose an image, press the Share button and send it via AirDrop, email or chat message, with confidence, the image is now in JPG format.
Open HEIC images in the Photos app on Windows
the Windows do allows you to open HEIC images in Photos, but only if you are configured to do so. You will need to download both HEIF Image Extensions (free) and HEVC Video Extensions ($0.99) from the Microsoft Store, but once you do, you can open HEIC files in your Photos app and convert them to JPG.
Once these extensions are installed, open a photo on your PC by choosing “Photos” as the application to open it.
Convert HEIC to JPG on Windows with CopyTrans
You can also use the popular CopyTrans for Windows application to convert HEIC to JPG on Windows computer. This application is free for personal use and has direct integration into the file explorer. All you have to do is select the HEIC file, right clickand choose the “Convert to JPEG with CopyTrans” option to automatically create JPG version of the same image, in the same folder.
Use online websites to convert HEIC photos
Want to quickly convert a few HEIC photos and don’t want to bother with apps? Use a free image conversion website like Cloud ConversionSimply drag the HEIC photos, press the “Convert” and download the resulting JPG files.