How to convert HEIC to JPG on Windows

What is a HEIC file?

HEIC is the photo format Apple has used by default since iOS 11. It keeps photos at roughly half the size of a JPG with the same quality, which saves space on the phone. The catch is support: many Windows apps, websites, upload forms and older programs cannot read it.

Method 1: Convert in your browser (fastest)

1. Open HEIC to JPG.
2. Add your .heic files. You can add a whole batch.
3. Leave the quality at 90% for a result that looks the same as the original.
4. Press Convert. One photo downloads as a JPG; several download together as a ZIP.

Nothing is installed and the photos are not uploaded. The converter runs on your own computer.

Method 2: Have the iPhone send JPG automatically

On the iPhone, open Settings, then Photos, and under "Transfer to Mac or PC" choose Automatic. Photos copied to a computer with a cable are then converted to JPG on the way.

To stop the phone taking HEIC photos in the first place, open Settings, then Camera, then Formats, and choose Most Compatible. New photos will be saved as JPG, though they take up more space.

Method 3: Use the HEIF extension in Windows

Windows can open HEIC photos once the free "HEIF Image Extensions" app is installed from the Microsoft Store. Some PCs also need "HEVC Video Extensions". After that you can open a photo in Paint and use Save as to choose JPEG.

This works well for a few photos, but saving them one at a time is slow for a large batch.

Which method should you use?

• A batch you already have on your PC: Method 1.
• You copy photos from your iPhone often: Method 2, so you never get HEIC files again.
• You just want to view the occasional HEIC photo: Method 3.

If the converted JPG files are too large to email, run them through the Image Compressor.

How to tell if your photos are HEIC

Look at the file name. A photo that ends in .heic, or sometimes .heif, is a HEIC file. On Windows it often shows a blank icon or the message that the file type is not supported. Photos from an iPhone are the usual source, and some Android phones, including several Samsung models, can save HEIC too.

If you are not sure, right-click the file, choose Properties, and read the Type of file line.

Why Windows cannot open them by itself

HEIC photos use a video compression method called HEVC, and that technology comes with licensing costs for software makers. That is why Windows asks you to add an extension from the Microsoft Store, and why some versions of that extension can carry a small fee. Converting to JPG avoids the whole issue, because every program understands JPG.

Live Photos, burst photos and what actually converts

An iPhone Live Photo is a still picture plus a short video clip. When you copy it to a PC, you typically get a HEIC file for the still and a separate .mov file for the movement. Converting the HEIC gives you the still image as a normal JPG. The short video stays a video file.

Photos taken in portrait mode and burst shots are ordinary HEIC files and convert the same way.

Troubleshooting a conversion that fails

• A file will not convert: it may have been copied only partly from the phone. Copy it again and retry.
• The page slows down on a big batch: convert in smaller groups of 20 to 30 photos. Conversion uses your own computer memory.
• The result is too big to share: run the JPG files through the Image Compressor, or reduce their size with Resize Image.
• You are on a phone or tablet: the browser converter works the same way there, so you can convert before you send.

On a Mac instead?

A Mac can open HEIC without extra software. Open a photo in Preview, choose File, then Export, and pick JPEG as the format. The browser converter is quicker when you have many photos at once.

Frequently asked questions