If you've ever tried to upload a photo from your iPhone to a website, email it to someone on Windows, or open it in an older app and gotten an error, you've hit the HEIC problem.
Here's what's going on and how to fix it — no software installation required.
What is HEIC and why is it a problem?
HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the format Apple switched to in iOS 11. It produces smaller files than JPEG at the same visual quality, which is why Apple uses it by default. A photo that would be 4 MB as a JPEG might be 2 MB as HEIC.
The problem is compatibility. HEIC is not widely supported outside Apple's ecosystem:
- Windows doesn't open HEIC natively without a paid Microsoft codec
- Most websites that accept photo uploads reject HEIC files
- Google Photos, Dropbox, and most social platforms can handle them, but many business tools and older apps can't
- Email clients on Windows and Android often can't display inline HEIC attachments
The usual workarounds — and why they're annoying
Change iPhone camera settings — You can set your iPhone to shoot in JPEG instead of HEIC under Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. This works going forward but doesn't convert photos you've already taken.
Email to yourself — When you share a photo from iPhone via email, iOS sometimes converts it to JPEG automatically. Sometimes. It's inconsistent and doesn't work when airdropping or using a cable.
Install software — iMazing, Adobe Bridge, and other tools can batch convert. But they require installation, and many are paid.
Upload to iCloud and download on Mac — If you have a Mac, it handles HEIC natively and exports JPEG. But this requires hardware you might not have.
The better approach: convert in your browser
The HEIC Converter on this site converts HEIC photos to JPEG or PNG directly in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to a server — the conversion happens on your device using a JavaScript library.
This matters for privacy. Your photos never leave your computer. There's no account, no file size limit imposed by a server, and no waiting for an upload to complete.
How to convert HEIC to JPEG in three steps
- Go to the HEIC Converter
- Drop your HEIC files onto the converter — you can do multiple files at once
- Choose JPEG or PNG, set quality if needed, and download
If you have a lot of photos, download them all as a ZIP file in one click.
JPEG or PNG — which should you choose?
Choose JPEG for photos. It produces smaller files and handles the gradients and colors in real-world photos well. A quality setting of 85–90 is indistinguishable from the original at normal viewing sizes.
Choose PNG if you need pixel-perfect quality with no compression artifacts — for example, if you're using the photo as source material for further editing, or if it contains text and sharp edges that JPEG would blur. PNG files will be larger.
For everyday use — sending to someone, uploading to a website, attaching to an email — JPEG at default quality is the right call.
What about batch conversion?
The HEIC Converter handles multiple files in one go. Drop all your photos in at once, and it converts them in parallel and packages everything into a ZIP file. There is no practical limit since all processing happens locally on your device.
HEIC on Windows: What's Actually Happening
Windows 10 and 11 include a built-in codec that can open HEIC files, but only if you have the paid HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store ($0.99). Without it, the Photos app shows a blank thumbnail and File Explorer cannot generate previews.
This creates an inconsistent experience: some Windows computers open HEIC fine (those with the codec), others cannot. When you are sending photos to someone on Windows and you do not know whether they have the codec, converting to JPEG before sending eliminates the uncertainty.
Third-party applications on Windows — Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, and CameraRaw support HEIC directly on Windows without the codec. GIMP does not. Most older consumer software does not.
When Windows does open HEIC — If Windows has the HEVC codec, it opens HEIC in the Photos app and can export JPEG from there (File → Save as → JPEG). This is a workable path for one-off conversions but slow for batches.
Android — Google Photos handles HEIC natively for viewing, but many Android apps outside the Google ecosystem cannot open them. The same compatibility problem exists for business and productivity applications.
HEIC When You Stay in Apple's Ecosystem
If both the person sending and the person receiving photos are on Apple devices, HEIC is not a problem at all. iOS, iPadOS, and macOS handle HEIC natively. iCloud Photos stores HEIC and handles on-the-fly conversion when sharing to non-Apple devices through the share sheet.
The conversion problem is specifically about crossing the Apple/non-Apple boundary. If photos will always stay within Apple's ecosystem — shared via AirDrop, stored in iCloud, viewed on iPhone or Mac — HEIC's smaller file size is genuinely useful.
For everything else — business documents, web uploads, email to mixed audiences, professional workflows — JPEG is the more practical format.
After Converting: What to Do With the Files
Once you have JPEG or PNG versions, you may want to reduce the file size before sending or uploading them. The Image Compressor cuts JPEG and WebP file sizes by 70–90% without visible quality loss — useful before emailing a batch or uploading to a website. For switching between other formats (PNG to WebP, JPEG to PNG), the Image Converter handles conversions in both directions. If the original HEIC was low resolution and you need a larger version, the Image Upscaler can scale up 2×, 3×, or 4× using Lanczos resampling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why won't my HEIC photos open on Windows?
Windows does not support HEIC natively without a paid codec from the Microsoft Store. Most Windows users encounter a blank thumbnail or an error when trying to open iPhone photos. Converting to JPEG is the fastest fix and works without installing anything.
Does the HEIC Converter upload my photos to a server?
No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser using a JavaScript library. Your photos are processed on your device and never transmitted to any server. There is no account and no file size limit.
Will converting HEIC to JPEG lose quality?
At a quality setting of 85–90, the converted JPEG is visually indistinguishable from the original HEIC at normal viewing sizes. Some data is discarded (JPEG uses lossy compression), but the difference is not visible to the naked eye. If you need a lossless output, choose PNG instead — the file will be larger but pixel-perfect.
How do I stop my iPhone from saving photos as HEIC?
Go to Settings → Camera → Formats and select Most Compatible. This makes the camera shoot in JPEG going forward. It does not convert photos you have already taken — for those, use the converter.
Can I convert multiple HEIC files at once?
Yes. Drop multiple files onto the converter at the same time and it processes them in parallel. You can download each file individually or as a single ZIP archive.
Does EXIF data (date, location, camera settings) carry over after conversion?
Most EXIF metadata — date taken, camera model, exposure settings — is preserved in the JPEG output. GPS location data may or may not carry over depending on the browser and conversion library version. If preserving location data is important, verify it on a test conversion before processing a large batch.
Quick checklist
- [ ] Dropped HEIC files into the converter
- [ ] Selected output format (JPEG for photos, PNG for lossless)
- [ ] Adjusted quality if needed (85 is a good default for JPEG)
- [ ] Downloaded individual files or ZIP for multiple photos
- [ ] Verified the converted files open correctly before deleting originals