HEIC to JPG

iPhones and iPads save photos as HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) by default. The files are about half the size of a JPG at the same quality, but plenty of software still can't open them — Windows without an extra codec, older photo editors, most upload forms, and many web apps. Drop your .heic files here and each one comes back as a standard JPG (or a lossless PNG) you can download on its own, or all at once.

The conversion happens on your device. Safari can read HEIC itself, so it decodes the photos natively; Chrome, Edge, and Firefox can't, so the tool loads libheif — the open-source HEIF decoder — compiled to WebAssembly, once, and runs it in the page. Either way your photos are never uploaded, which matters when they show your home, your kids, or your documents.

Settings

• Format — JPG is what you want almost always: it opens everywhere and stays a reasonable size. PNG is lossless, so nothing is lost on top of the HEIC's own compression, but expect files three to five times larger.
• JPEG quality — 90% is visually indistinguishable from the original for photos; 75–85% roughly halves the file again if you're under an email or upload limit.
• Keep EXIF metadata (in Options) — off by default, which strips everything: GPS location, camera and lens, timestamps. Turn it on to copy the photo's EXIF into each JPG so photo libraries keep sorting it by the date it was taken and can place it on a map. The orientation tag is reset to upright, because the converted pixels already are.

What happens to Live Photos, bursts, and portraits

A Live Photo is a HEIC still plus a separate .MOV video; the HEIC converts like any other photo and the video is not part of it. Portrait-mode files also carry a depth map and HDR photos a gain map — auxiliary images that ride along with the main picture. When a HEIC file holds more than one picture, the tool converts the primary one (the photo you see in the Photos app) and says how many the file contained.

Example

IMG_4127.HEIC  4032×3024  1.9 MB  (portrait, taken with GPS on)
IMG_4128.HEIC  4032×3024  2.2 MB

Format: JPG · Quality: 90% · Keep EXIF: off

IMG_4127.jpg  3024×4032  3.6 MB  — upright, no location data
IMG_4128.jpg  4032×3024  4.1 MB

The portrait photo comes out upright because the decoder applies the HEIC's rotation to the pixels. JPGs are larger than HEICs at the same quality — that's the price of compatibility.

Limitations

• Converting re-encodes the image, so a JPG is slightly lossy; choose PNG if you need every pixel exactly as decoded.
• Wide-color (Display P3) and HDR photos are converted to standard sRGB, so vivid reds and greens can look a touch less saturated.
• Large batches take a moment: decoding a 12-megapixel HEIC with WebAssembly takes a second or two, and the page is busy while it does.
• Photos above about 16.7 megapixels (the 24 MP and 48 MP modes of recent iPhones) are scaled down to that size in browsers with a canvas limit, mainly Safari on iPhone and iPad; the file says when this happened.
• The video half of a Live Photo, and depth or gain maps, are not converted.

How do I convert HEIC to JPG for free without uploading?

Drop the HEIC files into the box above. Each photo is decoded and re-encoded as JPG by your own browser, then offered for download — individually or with Download all. Nothing is uploaded, and there's no sign-up, watermark, or file limit.

Why does my iPhone save photos as HEIC?

Since iOS 11, the Camera app's default High Efficiency format saves photos as HEIC, which stores the same picture in roughly half the space of a JPG. To shoot JPG instead, go to Settings → Camera → Formats and choose Most Compatible. Photos you share from the Photos app or AirDrop to a non-Apple device are often converted automatically.

Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?

Very little at the default 90% quality — the difference is not visible in normal viewing. JPG compression is less efficient than HEIC's, so the JPG is usually larger than the original. Choose PNG if you need a lossless copy of the decoded image, at the cost of much bigger files.

Will the JPG keep the date taken and location?

Only if you ask it to. By default the converted files carry no metadata at all, which keeps your location private when you share them. Turn on Keep EXIF metadata in Options to copy the original EXIF — date and time taken, camera, exposure, and GPS coordinates — into each JPG.

Why are my converted photos sideways?

They shouldn't be: the decoder applies the rotation stored in the HEIC to the pixels, so every JPG comes out upright, and when EXIF is kept its orientation tag is reset so viewers don't rotate it a second time. If an old app shows a JPG sideways, it is usually reading a stale orientation tag from a different converter.

How do I open HEIC files on Windows?

Windows 10 and 11 need the HEIF Image Extensions and HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store to show HEIC files in the Photos app. Converting them to JPG here avoids installing anything, and gives you files every program on any computer can open.

Can I convert HEIC to PNG instead?

Yes — set Format to PNG. PNG is lossless, so it preserves the decoded image exactly, which is useful for editing or archiving. It is not smaller, though: a 12-megapixel photo is typically 15–20 MB as PNG versus 3–4 MB as JPG.

Does this work with HEIF files from Android phones and cameras?

Yes. HEIC and HEIF are the same container format; Samsung, Google Pixel, and many cameras can save it too. Files with the .heif or .hif extension convert the same way as an iPhone's .heic.