HEIC to JPG: How to Convert iPhone Photos for Free

You send photos from your iPhone to a Windows PC, or try to upload them to a website, and they won’t open, or the site says “unsupported file type”. The reason is usually the HEIC format. Here’s what HEIC is, why it causes problems, and how to convert HEIC to JPG for free in seconds.

What is a HEIC file?

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the default photo format on iPhones since iOS 11. It stores photos at roughly half the size of a JPG with similar quality, which saves storage on your phone. The downside is compatibility: many websites, older Windows versions, some photo editors, and most government and job portals only accept JPG or PNG.

How to convert HEIC to JPG online

1. Open ImagesLite Convert to JPG on your phone or computer.
2. Add your HEIC photos. You can select many at once.
3. Keep the quality around 85–90% for photos you want to keep, or lower it for smaller files.
4. Click Convert to JPG. Download each photo, or use Download all (ZIP) for a batch.

The conversion runs in your browser, so your personal photos are never uploaded.

Stop your iPhone from saving HEIC

If you often need JPGs, you can change the camera setting:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap Camera, then Formats.
3. Choose Most Compatible.

New photos will be saved as JPG. Note that this makes photos take up more storage.

HEIC vs JPG vs PNG: which should you use?

• HEIC: smallest files, great for storing photos on Apple devices, but poor compatibility.
• JPG: works everywhere, so it’s the safest choice for sharing and uploading.
• PNG: lossless and supports transparency. Better for screenshots and graphics than for photos. Use Convert to PNG if you need it.

For websites, the modern WEBP format is often the best option. Read WebP vs JPG vs PNG for a full comparison.

After converting: make the files smaller

iPhone photos are large even as JPG, typically 2–4 MB each. To email them or upload them to a form, compress them with Compress Image or reduce the dimensions with Resize Image. Our guide to reducing photo size in KB covers exact limits like 50 KB.

Turn iPhone photos into a PDF

Photographed a document with your iPhone? Image to PDF accepts HEIC photos directly and converts them into a clean PDF, with no separate conversion step needed.

Frequently asked questions

Does converting HEIC to JPG reduce quality?

At 85–95% quality the difference is not visible. The JPG will be larger than the HEIC file because JPG compression is less efficient.

Can I convert HEIC on Windows without installing anything?

Yes. Open the converter in Chrome or Edge and drop the files in. No software or extensions are needed.

Are Live Photos supported?

The still image of a Live Photo is converted. The short video part is not included.

Convert HEIC to JPG now →