How to Convert HEIC Photos to JPG
Why iPhone photos are HEIC, why some apps can't open them, and how to turn them into JPG in seconds.
3 min read
You copy photos from your iPhone to a Windows laptop, or download them from iCloud, and the files end in .HEIC. Then a website refuses the upload, an older photo editor shows an error, or a colleague says they cannot open what you sent. Here is what HEIC is and the quickest ways to turn it into a regular JPG.
What is a HEIC file?
HEIC is Apple's name for photos saved in the HEIF format (High Efficiency Image File Format). Since iOS 11, iPhones save photos this way by default when the camera is set to "High Efficiency". The main benefit is size: a HEIC photo is often around half the size of a JPG of similar quality, so your phone storage and iCloud space last longer.
The downside is compatibility. JPG has worked everywhere for decades, while HEIC support is patchy. Many websites and upload forms only accept JPG or PNG. Windows can show HEIC files, but often only after you install Microsoft's HEIF and HEVC extensions from the Microsoft Store. Some older programs, printers and photo kiosks cannot read them at all.
How to convert HEIC to JPG with QodeCat
The HEIC to JPG converter converts your photos right in the browser, so they are never uploaded anywhere. That is useful for personal photos you would rather not hand to a random website.
- Open the converter. Under Output Format, keep JPG (Recommended), or choose PNG (Lossless) if you need a lossless copy.
- For JPG, set the Quality slider. The default of 80% looks practically identical to the original for most photos. Go higher if you plan to print or edit the image, lower if you need very small files.
- Click the drop area and select your .HEIC files, or drag them in. You can add up to 20 files at a time, and you can also paste them from the clipboard.
- Check the queue and click the Convert button, which shows how many files will be converted.
- When it is done, save files one by one with Save, or click Download All (.zip) to get everything in one archive. Use Convert New to start another batch.
A note on PNG: it does not lose any quality, but PNG files from photos are much larger than JPGs, often several times the size. For sharing, uploading and storage, JPG is almost always the better choice.
Other ways to get JPG instead of HEIC
- Stop it at the source: on your iPhone go to Settings > Camera > Formats and choose Most Compatible. New photos are then saved as JPG, but they take more space.
- Automatic conversion on transfer: Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC set to Automatic converts photos to a compatible format when you copy them over a cable.
- Mac: open the photo in Preview and use File > Export, then pick JPEG. The Photos app can also export as JPEG.
- Windows: with the HEIF extensions installed, the Photos app can open HEIC files and save a copy in another format.
- Sharing from the phone: many apps, including Mail, convert photos to JPG automatically when you send them.
These options are great when you only need one or two photos or want to change the default for the future. An online converter is handier when you already have a folder of HEIC files on a computer that cannot open them.
Common mistakes
- Renaming the file from .heic to .jpg. That only changes the name, not the format, and most apps will still fail to open it.
- Choosing PNG for everyday photos and ending up with huge files.
- Setting the quality very low to save space. Below about 60% you may start to see blocky artifacts in skies and skin.
- Deleting the HEIC originals right away. Keep them until you have checked the JPGs.
If the JPGs are still too heavy for an upload form, run them through Image Compressor or reduce their pixel size with the Image Resizer. And if you need the photos in a single document, Image to PDF can combine them.
Frequently asked questions
Does converting HEIC to JPG reduce quality?
JPG is a lossy format, so technically a little information is lost. At 80% or higher the difference is very hard to see on a normal screen. If you need a perfect copy, choose PNG.
Will my photo's date and location be kept?
The image is decoded and re-encoded in your browser, and the original metadata such as capture date, camera details and GPS location is not carried over to the new file. That is handy for privacy, but keep the originals if you rely on that information to sort your photo library.
Can I convert more than 20 photos?
Yes, just in batches. Convert the first 20, download them, click Convert New and add the next set. Because everything runs on your own device, very large batches mainly depend on how fast your computer or phone is.