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Your iPhone photo looks perfect on the phone. You email it to your office computer and it shows a blank icon. You try to upload it to a form and the site says “unsupported file type”. The file ends in .heic, and nothing outside Apple’s world seems to know what to do with it.
This guide explains what HEIC is, why it causes trouble, and how to deal with it using the HEIC to JPG Converter. It also covers quality, file size and what to do when the converted photo still has to fit a form’s size limit.
What HEIC is, and why your iPhone uses it
HEIC is Apple’s everyday name for photos saved in the HEIF container using modern video-style compression. Apple switched iPhones to it in 2017 with iOS 11 because it keeps similar picture quality in a much smaller file, often around half the size of the same photo as a JPG. On a phone that is storing thousands of pictures, that adds up.
The catch is compatibility. JPG has been the universal photo format for decades, so every phone, browser, printer and website accepts it. HEIC is newer, and support is patchy, especially on older computers and in upload forms that were built to accept only a short list of formats.
| HEIC | JPG | PNG | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical size for a photo | Smallest | About twice HEIC | Largest by far |
| Opens on Windows, Android and websites | Often not | Almost always | Almost always |
| Quality loss | Small, built in | Small, built in | None (lossless) |
| Best for | Keeping photos on an iPhone | Sharing, email, forms, uploading | Screenshots and graphics |
Sizes are typical, not exact. A photographic picture is always much smaller as HEIC or JPG than as PNG.
Three ways to fix it
1. Convert the photos you already have
This is the quickest fix and works on any phone or computer, since it only needs a browser. Open the converter, add one or many HEIC photos, choose JPG or PNG and convert. You get ordinary pictures that open anywhere.
2. Make the iPhone save JPG from now on
On the iPhone, open Settings, then Camera, then Formats, and choose Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPG instead of HEIC. The trade-off is larger files, so your storage fills up faster. This does not change pictures you have already taken.
3. Ask your computer to understand HEIC
Some computers can open HEIC if you install a codec or extension. That helps you view the photos, but it does not help when you need to send a file to someone else or upload it to a site. For those jobs, a JPG is still the safe choice.
JPG or PNG: which one to choose
For photographs, choose JPG. It is small and accepted nearly everywhere. PNG is lossless, so nothing is thrown away, but a PNG copy of a photo can be many times heavier. PNG makes sense only when you need to edit the picture further without losing quality.
When you choose JPG, the converter shows a quality slider from 40 to 100, set to 90 by default. At 90 the picture looks the same as the original to most eyes. Dropping to around 80 makes the file noticeably smaller, and below about 70 you start to see blockiness around edges and in skies. Remember that JPG is lossy, so converting does lose a very small amount of detail, but it is rarely visible at 90.
- Small file, visible loss40–70
- Good balance70–85
- Looks like the original85–100
A rule of thumb, not a standard. Photos with fine detail show loss sooner than plain pictures.
When the converted photo is still too big for a form
Because HEIC is so compact, a JPG made from it is usually bigger. A form that wants a photo under 100 KB will often reject the straight conversion. The fix is a second step: convert to JPG first, then squeeze it to the exact limit with Compress Image to Exact KB. If the form needs several pictures in one document, turn them into a single file with the Image to PDF Converter. The full routine is in how to compress an image to 50 KB or 100 KB.
What to check before sharing the converted photo
- Look at the result. Open one converted picture and zoom in before you send the whole batch.
- Check for location data. Photos can carry hidden details such as where they were taken. A conversion may or may not keep them, so view the picture’s details with the Image EXIF Viewer before you post it publicly. More in your photo may be carrying your home address.
- Keep the original. The HEIC on your phone is the best-quality copy. Treat the JPG as the shareable version.
Private by design
Photos from your phone are among the most personal files you own: family pictures, documents, receipts, screenshots. The converter does the work in your browser, so the photos are not sent to a server to be converted. That also makes it quick for big batches, since nothing has to be uploaded or downloaded in between.
If you also need pages of a PDF as pictures, read how to convert a PDF to JPG or PNG.
Questions people ask
How do I convert HEIC to JPG?
Open the HEIC to JPG Converter, add your HEIC photos, choose JPG, set the quality (90 is a good default) and press Convert. You can then download the JPG files.
Why won’t my iPhone photo open on Windows or Android?
iPhones save photos as HEIC by default. Many computers and phones cannot open that format without extra software. Converting the photo to JPG makes it open everywhere.
Can I convert many HEIC photos at once?
Yes. Add as many photos as you like in one go and convert them together. Each one comes out as a separate JPG or PNG file.
Does converting HEIC to JPG reduce quality?
A very small amount, because JPG is a lossy format. At the default quality of 90 the difference is rarely visible. A lower setting makes smaller files with more visible loss.
Why is the JPG bigger than the HEIC file?
HEIC compresses photos more efficiently than JPG, so the same picture usually takes up about twice as much space as a JPG.
How do I make my iPhone take JPG photos instead of HEIC?
Go to Settings, then Camera, then Formats, and choose Most Compatible. New photos will be saved as JPG. Photos you have already taken stay as HEIC.
Should I convert HEIC to JPG or PNG?
Choose JPG for ordinary photos because the files are much smaller and accepted nearly everywhere. Choose PNG only if you need a lossless copy for editing.
Is it safe to convert HEIC photos online?
It is safest when the conversion happens on your device. The HEIC to JPG Converter on Toolcloak works in your browser, so your photos are not uploaded to a server.