How to convert HEIC to JPG: photos from an iPhone

Upload HEIC or HEIF files to HEIC to JPG, keep quality at 90 and click "Process files": one photo becomes a JPG, several become a ZIP of separate JPGs. For a PDF, skip conversion: JPG to PDF accepts HEIC directly.

A website form only accepts JPG, but the photo on your iPhone is saved as HEIC. Open HEIC to JPG and upload the original picture. Renaming the file will not help: a .jpg extension does not change what is inside, and the receiving system will still see HEIC data. Keep the original and treat the JPG as a compatible copy.

If what you actually need is a PDF, skip the JPG step. Upload the HEIC files straight to JPG to PDF: it accepts HEIC and HEIF alongside JPEG and PNG. The article Create a PDF from Photos covers that workflow in detail.

When you need a JPG and when a PDF is better

A JPG is the right output when the recipient expects a picture: an upload field on a portal, a marketplace listing, a photo printing shop, an older Windows computer without HEIC support, or an image to paste into a Word document.

A PDF is the right output when several shots must become one document: passport scans, receipts, certificates. Here the route "HEIC → JPG → PDF" only does harm. JPEG uses lossy compression, and every extra save adds artifacts around small text. JPG to PDF reads HEIC itself, so you save one round of compression and one extra operation.

How the iPhone saves photos and how to shoot JPG directly

By default the iPhone camera records photos as HEIC because the files take less space. If you need JPG all the time, change the format: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. New photos will then be saved as JPG. Pictures you have already taken stay in HEIC and still need converting. Expect JPG files to take noticeably more room on the phone and in iCloud.

There is a second option: keep HEIC on the phone but get JPG when copying to a computer. Go to Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC and choose Automatic. When you import over a cable, the iPhone then hands over compatible files. The Keep Originals option transfers HEIC unchanged.

Live Photos need one remark. A Live Photo consists of a still image plus a short video stored as a separate file. Only the still reaches the converter, so the output is an ordinary JPG without motion or sound. If a HEIC file contains several frames, the JPG keeps the first one.

Converting step by step

1. Open HEIC to JPG and drag the files into the upload area or choose them on your device. The tool takes .heic and .heif; the limits on file count and size are shown under the upload area. 2. Optionally fill in "Output file name". Left empty, a single file gets a name like converted_IMG_1234.jpg. 3. Check "JPEG quality": the default is 90. 4. Leave "Background for transparency", "Progressive JPEG" and "Optimize JPEG encoding" as they are for a first run. 5. Click "Process files" and wait until the job finishes. 6. Download the result. One photo gives one JPG; several give a ZIP archive where each file keeps the name of its source photo with a .jpg extension. Duplicate names get a _1, _2 suffix.

Quality: start at 90

The available range is 40 to 100. A value of 90 is a sensible starting point for a photo that goes into a form or an email. Lower values make the file smaller, but fine lettering, thin lines and sharp edges suffer first.

Example: you are sending a photo of a receipt. Convert at 90, open the JPG and zoom in on the total and the receipt number. If the website rejects the file as too large, convert again at a lower value and compare the same areas at the same zoom. A value of 100 does not make JPEG lossless and cannot bring back detail that was never in the source.

Do not be surprised if the JPG ends up larger than the original HEIC. That is expected: HEIC compresses more efficiently, so at similar quality the JPG weighs more.

Background, Progressive JPEG and Optimize JPEG encoding

"Background for transparency" only matters for images with transparent areas. JPG cannot store transparency, so those areas are filled with white or black. An ordinary camera photo has no transparent pixels, and the setting changes nothing. White is the practical choice for documents and print. It cannot remove a wall behind a person or cut out an object.

"Progressive JPEG" writes the file so that a browser can show the picture gradually, from blurry to sharp, while it loads. It does not fix sharpness or exposure. If an older program or a digital photo frame refuses to open the result, turn this option off and convert the original HEIC again.

"Optimize JPEG encoding" makes the file slightly smaller without any loss of quality: the data is packed more tightly on save, while the pixels stay exactly the same. There is rarely a reason to switch it off.

Change one setting at a time so you can tell which change made the difference.

What the conversion leaves behind

The converter does not carry metadata over. The JPG will have no capture date and time, no location tag, no phone model or other EXIF data, and no color profile.

For privacy that is a plus: you can post the photo online or send it to a stranger without revealing where it was taken. The downside is that a gallery or cloud service may sort these JPGs by download date rather than capture date, so they land in the wrong place in your timeline. If chronology matters, keep the HEIC originals and convert only the copies you send.

Without a color profile, vivid colors may look slightly more muted on some screens than in the Photos app. For documents and receipts this is invisible; for a portfolio, compare the result with the original.

Check the result before sending it

The converter applies the photo's orientation, but open the JPG anyway and make sure a portrait is upright and text reads the right way. Common mistakes worth catching before you send anything:

• the whole ZIP was uploaded to a form that only takes images — extract the archive first;
• a screenshot of the photo was converted instead of the original — it has fewer pixels and shows interface elements;
• the JPG was saved repeatedly in an editor — each save adds losses, so go back to the HEIC;
• the file is still over the size limit — lower "JPEG quality" and convert again from the HEIC rather than recompressing the finished JPG.

For long-term storage keep the HEIC and use the JPG as a copy for a specific recipient.