You just airdropped photos from your iPhone to your PC — and none of them open. Instead of familiar JPG files you're looking at a folder full of .heic files that Windows Photos, your photo printer, or that web form you're trying to upload to simply refuses to accept. Nothing is wrong with your photos: HEIC is just a newer format the rest of the world hasn't fully caught up with. Converting them to JPG fixes it in seconds, and this guide shows you three ways to do it.
What is HEIC, and why does Apple use it?
HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple's implementation of the HEIF standard, and it has been the iPhone's default photo format since iOS 11. Apple picked it for a good reason: HEIC files are roughly half the size of an equivalent-quality JPG, which means twice the photos in the same iCloud storage. HEIC also supports 16-bit color, transparency, and Live Photo sequences in a single file.
The catch is compatibility. JPG has been the universal photo format for three decades — every browser, app, printer kiosk, government upload form, and smart TV understands it. HEIC support outside the Apple ecosystem is still patchy: Windows needs a paid codec extension for full support, many Android apps ignore HEIC files, and most websites reject them outright.
Option 1: Convert HEIC to JPG online (any device)
The fastest way that works on any device — Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, or the iPhone itself — is an online converter:
- Open file-convert.online and drop your HEIC files into the upload area (you can select a whole batch at once).
- Choose JPG as the target format.
- Click Convert, then download your JPG files individually or as a single ZIP.
The conversion preserves the full resolution of your photos, and files are deleted from our servers automatically after processing — your vacation photos aren't sitting in someone's cloud forever.
Option 2: Built-in tools on Windows and Mac
On a Mac, you don't need any extra software: select your HEIC files in Finder, right-click, and choose Quick Actions → Convert Image, then pick JPEG. On Windows 11, the Photos app can open HEIC files if you install the free HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store, after which File Explorer offers Save As JPG from the Photos app — workable for one or two images, tedious for a hundred.
Option 3: The command line (for developers and batches)
If you're comfortable in a terminal, ImageMagick converts an entire folder in one line:
magick mogrify -format jpg -quality 90 *.heicThe -quality 90 flag is the sweet spot for photos: visually indistinguishable from the original at a fraction of the size. On macOS you can achieve the same with the built-in sips tool: sips -s format jpeg photo.heic --out photo.jpg.
Will converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?
Slightly — but far less than you'd fear. Both HEIC and JPG are lossy formats, so a conversion re-encodes the image. At quality 90 or above the difference is invisible to the eye; what you do lose is HEIC's extras: 16-bit color depth becomes 8-bit, transparency is flattened, and Live Photos keep only their still frame. For everyday sharing, printing, and uploading, JPG at high quality is exactly what you want.
Rule of thumb: keep the HEIC originals as your archive, convert to JPG for anything that leaves your Apple devices.
Stop your iPhone from shooting HEIC in the first place
If you constantly share photos with non-Apple devices, you can make your iPhone shoot JPG natively: go to Settings → Camera → Formats and switch from High Efficiency to Most Compatible. Your photos will take about twice the storage, but they will open everywhere without conversion. A middle ground: leave the camera on High Efficiency and enable Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → Automatic, which converts to JPG on the fly when you cable-transfer.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to convert HEIC photos online?
With file-convert.online, uploads travel over TLS and converted files are removed from our servers automatically after a short retention window. For highly sensitive images, use the offline options above.
Can I convert many HEIC files at once?
Yes — the online converter accepts batches, and the ImageMagick one-liner above converts an entire folder. The Windows Photos route is the only one that forces you through files one by one.
What about HEIC videos (Live Photos)?
A Live Photo is a still HEIC plus a short video. Converting to JPG keeps the still frame. If you want the motion, export the Live Photo as a video on your iPhone first, then convert that with a video converter.