How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Any Device (Free, Instant)
iPhone photos won't open on Windows or Android? Convert HEIC to JPG in seconds — no apps, no uploads.
You took photos on your iPhone, transferred them to a Windows PC, and now they won't open. Or you emailed them to someone and they got back to you saying the file is broken. Or they uploaded fine but show as a jumbled mess in an older application.
The culprit is HEIC — Apple's default photo format since iOS 11. It's technologically superior to JPEG in almost every way. It's also incompatible with a significant portion of the world's software. Here's everything you need to know to convert it and prevent the problem in future.
What is HEIC and why does Apple use it?
HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container. It uses the HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) container combined with H.265/HEVC compression — the same compression technology used for modern video streaming. It was adopted by Apple in iOS 11 (2017) and has been the default iPhone camera format since.
The reason Apple switched is compelling: HEIC photos are approximately 40–50% smaller than equivalent JPEG photos at the same perceived quality. For a phone that takes 12–48 megapixel images and stores thousands of them, this translates to meaningful storage savings. Apple can ship phones with less storage while providing the same practical capacity.
HEIC also supports features JPEG doesn't: 10-bit color depth (wider color gamut than JPEG's 8-bit), lossless compression mode, multiple images in one file (for burst shots and Live Photos), depth maps, and transparency. For Apple's ecosystem, it's strictly better than JPEG.
The problem is the rest of the world didn't adopt it simultaneously. JPEG has been the universal standard since 1992. HEIC is newer, uses patented codecs, and requires explicit support that many applications and devices simply haven't added yet.
The compatibility problem: what can't open HEIC
Windows 10 without updates cannot open HEIC files natively. Older Windows applications — even current versions of some professional software — don't support HEIC because the codec isn't part of the standard Windows imaging pipeline.
Android support is inconsistent. The native camera app on Samsung and Google Pixel phones generally handles HEIC. Third-party apps and older Android versions often don't.
Web browsers are mixed. Chrome and Firefox added HEIC support in 2024, but many users haven't updated. If you embed HEIC images on a website, a meaningful percentage of visitors can't see them.
Older software — Adobe Photoshop versions prior to CC 2022, most legacy photo editing tools, and many document processing systems — doesn't handle HEIC at all.
The safest solution for cross-platform sharing is still JPEG. It's supported everywhere, by everything, forever.
Step-by-step: convert HEIC to JPG with Toolspace
Step 1: Open the Toolspace HEIC to JPG Converter. Your photos never leave your device.
Step 2: Drag one or multiple .heic or .heif files onto the drop zone, or click to browse your files.
Step 3: Set output quality. 85% is a good default that produces visually identical results to the HEIC at roughly half the size savings. Higher quality (90–95%) for photos you care about.
Step 4: Click Convert. Processing happens locally in your browser. Each HEIC photo typically converts in 1–3 seconds.
Step 5: Download your JPEG files. They'll have the same filename as the source with a .jpg extension. Batch downloads come as a ZIP.
Batch converting multiple HEIC photos at once
If you have a folder of HEIC photos — from a trip, an event, or a bulk export from your iPhone — converting them one at a time is impractical. Toolspace handles batch conversion natively: drag all your HEIC files at once, set a uniform quality level, and download them all as a ZIP.
For very large batches (hundreds of photos), it's worth knowing the conversion runs sequentially in background threads — your browser won't freeze, but for 200 photos expect a few minutes of processing time. Start the conversion and do something else while it runs.
How to stop your iPhone from saving HEIC (for the future)
If you regularly share photos with Windows users or non-Apple devices, you can make iOS capture JPEG by default instead of HEIC:
Go to Settings → Camera → Formats. You'll see two options: High Efficiency (HEIC) and Most Compatible (JPEG). Choose Most Compatible.
The trade-off: your photos will be larger (roughly double the storage per photo). With modern iPhones having 128 GB+ of storage and fast cloud syncing, this is rarely a practical problem. If storage is a concern, keep HEIC for the camera and convert only when you need to share.
Alternatively, set the sharing format: Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → Choose "Automatic." This makes iOS automatically convert to JPEG when transferring via USB to a computer — you get HEIC on the phone but JPEG on the PC.
Other ways to convert HEIC: Windows, Mac, Android
On Mac (Preview): Open the HEIC file in Preview, then File → Export. Choose JPEG as the format and set quality. Batch export by selecting multiple files in Finder, right-clicking, and choosing "Open With → Preview" — all files open in one Preview window, then File → Export All.
On Windows (Photos app): After installing the free HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store, Windows Photos can open HEIC files. Right-click → Edit and Create → Edit, then save as JPEG. Not ideal for batches.
iCloud.com: On any browser, go to iCloud.com → Photos, select your HEIC photos, and download them. Apple automatically converts to JPEG when you download from the web. No conversion tool needed — but requires iCloud and a browser.
Toolspace: Works on any platform, no software required, no account, local processing, batch support. The best option for one-time conversions and sensitive photos you don't want to upload anywhere.
FAQ
Does converting HEIC to JPG reduce photo quality?
Yes, but usually imperceptibly. HEIC (HEIF) uses more efficient compression than JPEG, so a HEIC file contains more visual information per byte. Converting to JPEG necessarily involves re-encoding, which introduces a small quality loss. At JPEG quality 85% or above, this loss is virtually undetectable to the human eye. The result looks identical to the original on any screen. For critical professional photography, keep the HEIC originals and only distribute JPEG copies.
Why can't Windows open HEIC files by default?
HEIC uses the HEIF container with H.265/HEVC compression. H.265 is a patented codec, and Microsoft didn't include the necessary decoder in Windows 10 by default due to licensing costs. You can add HEIC support to Windows 10/11 by installing the free 'HEIF Image Extensions' from the Microsoft Store (and optionally 'HEVC Video Extensions' for $0.99). Windows 11 has improved native HEIF support, but it's still not universal.
What happens to Live Photos when I convert HEIC to JPG?
HEIC files from an iPhone can contain a 'Live Photo' — a short video clip accompanying the still image. When you convert to JPEG, only the still image is preserved. The motion portion is discarded. JPEG doesn't support embedded video data. If you need to preserve the Live Photo motion, export as a video or use Apple's own export tools which can produce GIFs or MP4s from Live Photos.
Are HEIC photos larger or smaller than JPEG?
Smaller. HEIC is typically 40–50% smaller than JPEG at equivalent visual quality. A photo that would be 8 MB as JPEG is often 4 MB as HEIC. This is why Apple switched to HEIC on iPhone — it dramatically reduces photo storage usage. Converting back to JPEG will produce files roughly double the size of the original HEIC.
Can I convert HEIC to PNG instead of JPG?
Yes. If you need transparency support or want lossless output, convert to PNG. PNG files will be larger than JPEG equivalents for photographic content, but the conversion is lossless — no quality degradation beyond the HEIC-to-uncompressed decode step. Toolspace supports HEIC-to-PNG conversion in addition to HEIC-to-JPEG.
My Android phone can't open photos someone sent me from their iPhone. Is this the same problem?
Yes, almost certainly. Android has variable HEIC support — some newer Android phones open HEIC natively; others don't. If your Android can't open a .heic file, use Toolspace to convert it to JPG, then share the JPEG version. For ongoing photo sharing between iPhone and Android users, the most friction-free solution is asking the iPhone user to share via the Photos app's 'Most Compatible' setting, which automatically converts to JPEG on export.
Single photo or bulk batch. Runs in your browser, zero upload.
Convert HEIC to JPG Free