How do I convert HEIC to JPG for free?

Drop the HEIC photos on the box above, keep JPG selected and set the quality (92 suits most photos), then download each file or the whole batch as a ZIP. It is free, with no account and no watermark, and the conversion runs in your browser.

Why are my iPhone photos HEIC?

Since iOS 11, the iPhone camera saves photos as HEIC by default because the format takes less space than JPEG at the same quality. To get JPGs from the camera instead, go to Settings, Camera, Formats and choose Most Compatible.

Why can't I open HEIC files on Windows?

Windows does not read HEIC out of the box: Photos needs the HEIF and HEVC extensions from the Microsoft Store. If you cannot install them, or you need files that open anywhere, convert the photos to JPG here.

Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?

A little, because JPG is lossy too and the photo is compressed again. At a quality of 85 or more the difference is hard to see at normal size. Expect the JPG to be larger than the HEIC, since HEIC compresses photos more efficiently.

Are my photos uploaded anywhere?

No. The decoder runs in your browser and the photos are converted on your own device. The JPG is drawn from the pixels, so the date taken, the camera model and the GPS location in the original are not copied across.

Why does a file show an error?

HEIF is a broad standard and the decoder does not read every variant. A damaged file or an unusual one shows an error on its row. Try opening it in Safari, or export it as JPEG from Photos or Preview on a Mac.

Can I convert HEIC to PNG instead?

Yes. Switch Convert to PNG and the photos are saved losslessly, which suits images you will edit again. PNG files of photos are much bigger than JPGs, so use JPG for sharing and uploads.

HEIC to JPG Converter: Free, Batch, No Upload

How to convert HEIC to JPG

Add the photos. Drop one HEIC file or a batch on the box, or click it to choose them. The first HEIC loads the decoder, which takes a moment; after that each photo converts in a second or two, depending on its size and your device.
Set the quality. 92 is the default and keeps a photo visually the same as the original. Move the slider down for smaller files, or up to 100 for the least compression. Choose PNG instead if you need a lossless copy to edit.
Download. Each row has its own button, and with two or more photos one button gives you a ZIP. The name stays, only the extension changes, so IMG_4021.HEIC becomes IMG_4021.jpg.

There is nothing to install and no account. If the photo is going on a website, run the JPG through the image optimizer afterwards to resize it and make it lighter.

What a HEIC file is

HEIC is the High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF) with pictures compressed by HEVC, the video codec also known as H.265. Apple made it the default camera format with iOS 11 in 2017, because it stores a photo in less space than JPEG at the same visual quality. That is why photos taken on an iPhone or iPad, and AirDropped or copied off it, so often arrive as .HEIC files.

Apple devices open HEIC without a second thought. Elsewhere it is patchier: Windows needs extra extensions from the Microsoft Store before Photos will show it, many websites, forms and online stores refuse it, and Chrome, Firefox and Edge cannot display it on a web page. JPG is accepted almost everywhere, which is why converting is the quickest fix.

JPG quality: what the slider changes

JPEG compression discards detail the eye is least likely to notice, and the quality setting decides how much. A HEIC is usually smaller than the JPG of the same photo, so expect the JPG to be bigger than the original at the default setting.

Quality	Good for	What to expect
95 to 100	Print, archiving, a photo you will edit again	The largest files, often several MB for a 12 megapixel photo.
85 to 94	Most uses: email, documents, upload forms, social posts	Looks the same as the HEIC at normal viewing size. 92 is the default.
70 to 84	Attachments with a size limit, quick sharing	Noticeably smaller files. Skies and skin can show slight banding.
60 to 69	Previews only	Visible blocks around edges and fine detail.

Each row shows the size of the HEIC and the JPG side by side, so you can move the slider and watch the file size change before you download. Quality numbers are not comparable between programs: 90 here is not the same file as 90 in Photoshop.

Photos with several images, Live Photos and HDR

Several images in one file. HEIF is a container and can hold more than one picture, for example an image sequence. Most iPhone photos hold one. By default the tool converts the first image in each file and the row tells you when there are more; choose All images to get each one as its own JPG, numbered -2, -3 and so on.

Live Photos. The moving part of a Live Photo is a separate video file. The HEIC holds the still picture, and that is what you get as a JPG.

HDR and color. Recent iPhones record photos in the wide Display P3 color space and can add HDR brightness information. A JPG made in a browser is a standard sRGB image, so very bright highlights and very saturated colors can look slightly flatter than on the iPhone screen. For everyday sharing the difference is small.

To stop the problem at the source, set your iPhone to save JPG: Settings, Camera, Formats, Most Compatible. To keep HEIC on the phone but get JPGs when you copy photos to a computer, use Settings, Photos, Transfer to Mac or PC, Automatic.

How to convert HEIC to JPG without a tool

On a Mac, open the photo in Preview and choose File, Export, then JPEG with the quality slider; to convert several, open them together, select all the thumbnails in the sidebar and choose Export Selected Images. In the Photos app on a Mac, File, Export, Export Photos lets you pick JPEG too. On Windows, once the HEIF and HEVC extensions are installed, open the photo in Photos or Paint and save a copy as JPEG. A browser tool is quicker for a batch, or on a computer where you cannot install anything.

Is it safe and private

The photos never leave your device. The page downloads an open source HEIC decoder and runs it in your browser, then saves each picture with the browser's own JPEG encoder, so there is no upload and no queue. Because the JPG is drawn fresh from the pixels, camera metadata such as the date taken, the camera model and the GPS location of the photo is not copied. That is a plus when you share pictures publicly, but keep the originals if you need that information.

Methodology and limits

Detection: Each file is identified from its first bytes, not its name. HEIC and HEIF files carry an ftyp box with a brand such as heic, heix or mif1; JPG, PNG and WebP files are recognized by their own signatures and converted directly.
Decoding: HEIC files are decoded by heic2any, which runs libheif with the libde265 HEVC decoder compiled for the browser, in a background worker. The library is loaded only when the first HEIC file is added. If it cannot read a file, the tool asks the browser to open it natively, which works in Safari, before reporting an error.
Several images: All top level images in the file are decoded. With First image selected, the first image stored in the file is converted; with All images, each one is.
Encoding: The pixels are saved with the browser's own encoder (canvas toBlob) as JPEG at the quality you set, divided by 100, or as lossless PNG.
Size change: Each row compares the original file size with the new one, measured from the files themselves. 1 KB = 1,024 bytes and 1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes.
Limits: Up to 50 files per batch, each up to 100 million pixels and 16,384 pixels on a side. Metadata (EXIF, GPS, XMP), depth maps, HDR gain maps and embedded color profiles are not copied, and colors are saved as sRGB. HEIC files that use features the decoder does not support show an error on their row. On a phone, convert large batches in smaller groups.

Sources

Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices, Apple Support, on HEIC, the Most Compatible setting and transfers to a computer
High Efficiency Image File Format: technical information, Nokia Technologies, on the HEIF container and its brands
Image file type and format guide, MDN Web Docs, on HEIC and JPEG support in browsers
libheif, struktur AG, the open source HEIF decoder used in the page
HTMLCanvasElement: toBlob() method, MDN Web Docs, the browser encoder and its quality argument

HEIC to JPG converter

Phone photos are a start. A website needs them chosen, edited and sized.

HEIC to JPG Converter: the complete guide