Complete Guide
Apple introduced HEIC (also called HEIF) with iOS 11 to reduce iPhone photo storage by roughly half. The catch: HEIC isn't a universal format. Send a HEIC file to a Windows user, upload it to most websites, or open it in Photoshop CS6, and you'll get an error.
When you need HEIC to JPG conversion: - Sending iPhone photos to friends or colleagues on Windows or Android - Uploading to job application portals, government forms, or older websites - Importing into design software that doesn't support HEIC natively - Posting to platforms that only accept JPG (some legacy CMS systems, banking apps) - Archiving photos in a future-proof format that any device can open
How HEIC compression works HEIC uses HEVC (H.265) video compression applied to single frames. This modern codec can encode the same visual data using about half the bytes JPG needs. The downside is licensing — many software vendors have to pay royalties to support HEIC, which is why support is inconsistent across platforms.
Why convert in the browser instead of uploading Most online HEIC converters upload your photos to their servers, run a command-line conversion tool, then send the JPG back. That means strangers technically have your photo for the duration of processing — a real concern for personal photos, ID scans, or confidential images. ImageGates uses native browser APIs (when available) and a small WebAssembly decoder, so your file never leaves your device.
Quality settings explained We default to 92% JPG quality, which produces visually identical results to the source on standard screens while keeping files reasonably small. If you need maximum quality (e.g., for printing), the 100% setting preserves every detail at the cost of larger file size. For web sharing, 80–85% is plenty.
Tips for best results - If your iPhone photo contains transparency (rare for HEIC), it will be flattened against white during JPG conversion — JPG doesn't support transparency. - Use Image Compressor afterward if you need an even smaller file for email or web upload. - For multi-page documents scanned to HEIC, convert to JPG first and then combine into PDF. - If you also need to resize, do it before conversion using Image Resizer for sharper results.
HEIC vs JPG — file size comparison A typical 12-megapixel iPhone photo: - HEIC original: ~1.8 MB - JPG at 100%: ~3.5 MB - JPG at 92% (our default): ~1.6 MB - JPG at 75%: ~700 KB
Compatibility cheat sheet - Windows 10 + HEIF Image Extension: works - Windows 10 stock: needs conversion - Windows 11: native support - macOS 10.13+: works - Android 9+: works (most apps) - Older Android, web uploads, design tools: convert to JPG
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Reviewed by Abdulkeni Abdelwahid, Editor · Last updated July 20, 2026
HEIC is Apple's default photo container since iOS 11 — it saves about 50% of the bytes of a JPEG at similar quality, but almost every non-Apple surface still chokes on it. Windows Explorer previews a gray placeholder, Gmail refuses inline display, most CMS uploaders reject the extension, and government e-filing portals often only accept .jpg or .png. Our converter decodes the HEIC image entirely in your browser using a WebAssembly build of libheif, then re-encodes as sRGB JPEG at quality 92 so the visual fidelity is indistinguishable from the source. Nothing is uploaded — helpful when the HEIC contains personal documents, insurance claims, or passport pages. This guide walks through when to convert, what quality setting to pick, how to preserve EXIF (or strip it for privacy), and how to batch hundreds of iPhone photos without freezing the browser tab.
Who this tool is for
Sending iPhone photos to Windows users
Windows 10/11 without the HEIF codec extension shows only a gray placeholder. Converting to JPG makes photos openable in Photos, Paint, and every legacy viewer.
Uploading to government or bank portals
USCIS, DVLA, tax portals, and most banks reject .heic. JPG is the safest universal format for form uploads.
Attaching to Gmail or Outlook inline
HEIC attachments arrive but don't preview inline. JPG previews immediately in every mail client.
Editing in older Photoshop / GIMP
Photoshop before CC 2020 and every GIMP version below 2.10.2 refuses HEIC. JPG opens everywhere.
Publishing to WordPress or Shopify
Most CMS media libraries reject HEIC uploads outright. Convert first, then upload.
Step-by-step workflow
- 1
Airdrop or export from iPhone
Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → Automatic re-encodes to JPEG; the manual export via Files preserves original HEIC — that's what you want to convert here.
- 2
Drop the .heic file(s)
You can drop dozens at once. Live Photos convert to a single still frame (the key photo).
- 3
Pick quality 92 (default)
Quality 92 is visually lossless for phone photos and typically produces files ~1.4× the size of the HEIC — still smaller than most DSLR JPEGs.
- 4
Choose whether to keep EXIF
Keeping EXIF preserves shot date, camera model, and GPS. Strip it if you plan to publish the photos or attach them to a public claim.
- 5
Download the ZIP
Files keep the original base name with .jpg appended so your camera roll ordering is preserved.
Real-world examples
Insurance claim
A homeowner photographs storm damage on iPhone (14 HEIC files). The insurer's portal only accepts JPG under 5 MB. Batch-converting at quality 88 produces JPGs averaging 1.8 MB — all 14 upload in a single submission.
Marketplace listing
A seller lists furniture on Facebook Marketplace. HEIC uploads appear rotated or blank on Android buyers' phones. Converting first delivers correctly-oriented JPGs viewable everywhere.
Visa application
An applicant needs to attach a proof-of-residency photo to a consular portal that only accepts .jpg or .jpeg. Converting the HEIC scan solves the upload error in one step.
Best practices from our editors
- Convert at quality 90–92 for photos with people; quality 85 for landscapes; quality 80 for background reference shots.
- Strip EXIF for anything you'll publish publicly — GPS coordinates in EXIF have exposed home addresses in real cases.
- For Live Photos, the still frame is used; if you need the motion, export as .MOV separately from iPhone first.
- Rotate before converting if the HEIC was shot in portrait — some browsers ignore the orientation flag after re-encoding.
- Batch in groups of 50 to keep the browser tab responsive on lower-spec laptops.
- Never convert twice — always start from the original HEIC, not a previously-converted JPG.
At-a-glance comparison
| Format | Compatibility | Typical size (12MP photo) | Transparency |
|---|
| Apple + Win 11 (with codec) | ~1.4 MB | Yes (alpha) |
| Universal | ~2.1 MB | No |
| Modern browsers, most editors | ~1.1 MB | Yes |
| Universal | ~9 MB | Yes |
Common mistakes and how to fix them
✗ Renaming .heic to .jpg to 'trick' the uploader
✓ The file still carries HEIC bytes and every parser rejects it. Actually re-encode with a converter.
✗ Converting at quality 100
✓ Quality 100 disables perceptual compression — the file is huge with zero visual gain. Cap at 92.
✗ Ignoring orientation metadata
✓ Check the preview; if the photo is sideways, rotate before download or the JPG will save the wrong way up.
✗ Assuming HEIC → JPG shrinks the file
✓ HEIC is more efficient; JPG will usually be 1.3–1.6× larger. Combine with our compressor if size matters.
Troubleshooting
Symptom: File opens as gibberish text after 'renaming'
Cause: Renaming does not re-encode; HEIC bytes are still inside.
Fix: Use this converter to actually re-encode.
Symptom: Photo appears rotated 90°
Cause: iPhone stored orientation in EXIF; some viewers ignore it.
Fix: Rotate in the tool before download, or use our Image Rotator afterwards.
Symptom: Browser tab freezes on batch
Cause: Very large HEIC (48 MP ProRAW captures) exhaust memory.
Fix: Convert in batches of 20 or less; close other tabs first.
Expert FAQs
Is any file uploaded to your server? + No. libheif runs as WebAssembly in your browser tab — the HEIC never leaves your device.
Will I lose quality? + At quality 92, the visual difference is imperceptible on all normal viewing sizes. Pixel-peeping at 400% may reveal tiny differences in smooth gradients.
Does it convert HEIF video (.heif / .heifs)? + Only still-image HEIC/HEIF. For iPhone video, export as .MOV or .MP4 from the Photos app directly.
Are Live Photos supported? + Yes, but only the still frame is used. The motion component is a separate .MOV file.
Can I convert to PNG instead of JPG? + Use our Image Converter tool for PNG output — PNG files are typically 4–5× larger than JPG for photos.
Does it work on iPad Safari? + Yes, on iPadOS 15+ with 4 GB RAM devices. Older iPads may struggle with 50+ file batches.
Is EXIF preserved? + Toggle 'Keep EXIF' on. Off strips GPS, camera model, and timestamp for privacy.
Why is my JPG larger than the HEIC? + HEIC uses HEVC compression which is roughly 2× more efficient than JPEG. Expect JPGs to be 1.3–1.6× the HEIC size at visually equivalent quality.
Can I convert password-protected HEIC? + HEIC itself has no password layer. If the file lives inside an encrypted iCloud share, download it locally first.
References & further reading
- Apple — About HEIF and HEVC
- libheif project
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