HEIC is the format iPhones use for photos by default; JPG is the older format that almost every device, app and website can open. HEIC files take less space at the same visual quality, so there is no reason to convert photos that stay on your iPhone, Mac or iCloud. Convert when you need to send, upload or edit a photo somewhere that can't read HEIC, which still includes many upload forms and Windows PCs without an extra extension.
Why your iPhone saves photos as HEIC
Starting with iOS 11, the iPhone 7 and later capture photos in HEIF, the High Efficiency Image File format; on the iPhone these files end in .heic. Videos are recorded with HEVC (H.265) in the same mode. Apple's reason is compression: according to Apple, HEIF and HEVC use less storage on your devices and in iCloud Photos while preserving the same visual quality as JPEG and H.264.
The trade-off is compatibility. JPEG has been the standard photo format for decades, so anything that shows images can show a JPG. HEIC support is patchier:
- Apple devices open HEIC natively, and Safari has displayed HEIC images since version 17.
- Windows: Microsoft says the Photos app shows “You need an extension to use this file” for HEIF files until you install HEIF Image Extensions (free) and HEVC Video Extensions ($0.99) from the Microsoft Store, and that you need both even if you only view photos.
- Chrome, Edge and Firefox don't display HEIC, which is one reason so many websites accept only JPG or PNG uploads.
HEIC vs JPG at a glance
| HEIC (HEIF) | JPG (JPEG) | |
|---|---|---|
| File size at the same visual quality | Smaller | Larger |
| iPhone camera setting | High Efficiency (default) | Most Compatible |
| Opens in Windows Photos | After installing Microsoft Store extensions | Yes |
| Displays in Chrome, Edge, Firefox | No | Yes |
| Accepted by web upload forms | Often not | Almost always |
When converting is worth it
- A website, job portal or government form rejects your photo or lists only JPG and PNG.
- You're sending photos to someone whose computer can't open them.
- You want to edit the photo in software that doesn't import HEIC.
- You want to share a photo without its capture date and location attached.
When it isn't: if the photos stay in Apple's apps, keep HEIC. Converting a whole library to JPG makes it bigger and adds another round of lossy compression for no benefit.
Option 1: make the iPhone shoot JPG
- Open Settings.
- Tap Camera, then Formats.
- Choose Most Compatible.
From then on, new photos are saved as JPEG and new videos as H.264. Photos you already took stay HEIC, and every new photo takes more storage than it would have as HEIC. If you only need JPGs now and then, the next two options are usually the better trade.
Option 2: let the iPhone convert when you copy to a computer
Apple notes that when you import HEIF or HEVC media from an attached iPhone into Photos, Image Capture or a PC, the media might be converted to JPEG or H.264. The switch is in Settings › Apps › Photos (on older iOS versions Photos is listed directly in Settings), under Transfer to Mac or PC:
- Automatic lets the iPhone convert to a compatible format during the transfer.
- Keep Originals copies the HEIC files unchanged.
This setting affects importing from an iPhone connected to the computer. It doesn't change the photos stored on the phone itself.
Option 3: convert the files you already have
If the HEIC files are already on your computer, or you need only a handful as JPG, use HEIC to JPG. It runs entirely in your browser: Safari decodes HEIC itself, and in Chrome, Edge or Firefox the page uses libheif compiled to WebAssembly, so the photos are never uploaded. You can convert a batch and download it as a ZIP.
Two things to expect. Each JPG will be larger than the HEIC it came from, because JPEG compresses less efficiently. And metadata such as the capture date and GPS location isn't copied, which is handy for privacy but means you should keep the originals if you sort photos by date. If an upload form also has a size limit, run the JPGs through Compress image afterwards.