What to expect: a worked example
HEIC is the format iPhones and iPads use for photos by default. It packs a photo into less space than JPG at the same quality, but plenty of software, websites and older phones still cannot open it. This guide shows what file sizes to expect after converting, which settings to use, how to stop the problem at the source on the iPhone, and what happens to Live Photos, colours and dates.
Take a typical 12-megapixel iPhone photo, 4032 by 3024 pixels, saved as a 2.1 MB HEIC. The sizes below are illustrative. The real result depends on the scene, and dim, noisy photos always come out larger than bright, simple ones.
| Setting | Approximate JPG size | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Quality 92 percent (default) | About 3 to 4 MB | Looks the same as the HEIC on screen |
| Quality 80 percent | About 1.5 to 2.5 MB | Fine for sharing, email and most uploads |
| Also limit file size: 500 KB | Under 500 KB | Quality is lowered first, then the dimensions if needed |
| Also limit file size: 100 KB | Under 100 KB | Much smaller dimensions; fine for a form, not for printing |
The JPG is often larger than the HEIC it came from. That is expected: HEIC is the more efficient format, and you are trading some size for a file that opens everywhere.
HEIC is first decoded into a high-quality intermediate image at 95 percent before the final JPG is written, so settings above about 95 percent make the file bigger without adding visible detail.
Converting HEIC to JPG step by step
- Get the HEIC files onto the device you are working on, for example by AirDrop, a cable, an iCloud download or Save to Files on the iPhone.
- Drop them onto this page or press Choose files. JPG is already selected as the format. Up to 50 photos per batch on the free plan.
- Leave Quality at 92 percent for keepsakes, or lower it to about 85 percent for smaller files to share.
- If a form has a size limit, turn on Also limit file size and type the limit, for example 200 KB.
- Press Convert, check a photo with Compare before and after, then press Download ZIP to save the whole batch.
If you pick photos straight from the Photos library on an iPhone, iOS may hand the browser a JPG already, depending on the version and settings. The file name on the card shows which you got.
Stop the problem on the iPhone instead
If you convert HEIC photos every week, it may be easier to change how the phone saves or sends them. These are standard iOS settings:
- Settings, Camera, Formats, Most Compatible: new photos are saved as JPG. They take more storage, and a few capture modes need High Efficiency to work.
- Settings, Photos, Transfer to Mac or PC, Automatic: photos copied over a cable are converted to JPG on the way.
- Sharing a photo by mail or to many apps often converts it automatically, so check what arrived before converting it again.
Keep HEIC if your photos stay on Apple devices or you archive originals. Convert copies for the places that need JPG and keep the HEIC files as your masters.
Live Photos, Portrait mode and bursts
- A Live Photo is a still HEIC plus a short separate video. The converter turns the still into a JPG; the motion is not included, and the video file is not an image.
- Portrait mode photos convert as they look, with the background blur baked in. The depth data that lets you change the blur later is not carried over.
- Burst photos are separate files once exported, and each becomes its own JPG.
- Edits made in the Photos app are included only if you export the edited version from the phone.
Troubleshooting
- The photo comes out sideways: it should not. The orientation stored by the camera is applied, so the JPG is written upright. If the HEIC was sideways too, press Edit on the card and rotate it.
- Colours look a little less vivid: iPhones record a wider colour range than standard JPG. The JPG is written in sRGB, so the most saturated reds, oranges and greens can soften slightly.
- The HEIC looks brighter on my phone: recent iPhones store extra HDR brightness information. The JPG is a standard dynamic range image, which looks the same as the HEIC on most screens but less bright on HDR displays.
- The date and location are missing: camera metadata is removed from every exported file. That keeps your location private, but a photo library will sort the JPG by file date rather than capture date.
- Could not read the file: the download may be incomplete, or the file is not really HEIC. Copy it again from the source.
- Conversion is slow or runs out of memory: HEIC decoding is heavier than JPG. On a phone, convert 10 or 20 photos at a time instead of a full batch.
Why convert here instead of uploading
Phone photos are personal, and the original HEIC files often carry the exact place they were taken. Upload-based converters need a copy of every photo on their server. Here the HEIC is decoded inside your browser tab, nothing is sent anywhere, and you can watch each card finish without an upload bar.
An album of 200 photos takes four batches on the free plan, or one batch with Pro, which allows 500 files of up to 1 GB each and keeps working offline once the app is installed.