How To Convert HEIC Photos to JPG or JPEG Format

Apple’s HEIC format is kind of a pain sometimes. Sure, it saves space and keeps the quality high, which is great — but try opening those on a Windows PC or Android device, and it’s a whole different story. Compatibility issues are common, and converting HEIC to JPEG becomes a must if you want to share or edit those photos outside the Apple ecosystem.

Converting HEIC photos is usually not a big deal once you know a few tricks. It’s worth knowing the options: using built-in apps, the Mac’s shortcuts, or online converters. Each method has its quirks, but they all do the job. When it works, it’s pretty quick, especially if you’re dealing with many images at once. Just keep in mind that sometimes, especially with batch conversions, you’ll encounter weird hiccups — like images not saving in the right format the first time. Because of course, Apple and Windows have to make it just complicated enough.

Convert HEIC Photos to JPEG

Using the Files App on iPhone

This is a surprisingly handy way to get JPEGs out of HEICs without messing with any third-party apps. Basically, you’re copying photos into the Files app, which then converts them in the process. But there’s a catch: it only works if you have the Photos app and Files app on your iPhone. Pretty straightforward, but a little roundabout.

• Open the Photos app and find the photos you want to convert.
• Tap the share icon (the box with an arrow pointing up, usually in the lower-left or bottom right).
• Select “Copy Photos”. I’ve noticed this sometimes fails the first time, so try again if nothing happens.
• Go back to your Home screen and open the Files app.
• Pick a folder (or just create a new one), press and hold, then choose “Paste”.

Voila — your HEIC photos are now stored as JPEGs in the Files app. Not sure why it works sometimes, but it’s handy for quick conversions.

Using macOS Monterey or Higher

If you’re on a Mac running macOS Monterey or newer, Apple actually baked in a quick way to batch convert images right from Finder. That’s pretty neat, especially if you’re dealing with lots of images and don’t want to open a bunch of apps.

• Open Finder and head to the folder with your HEIC images.
• Select all the photos you want to convert — Shift-click or Command-click works.
• Right-click on the selected images and choose “Quick Actions” → “Convert Image”. If you don’t see it, you might need to enable it in System Preferences → Extensions → Finder.
• In the pop-up, pick “JPEG” as the format.
• Hit “Convert”, and your images will be output in JPEG format nearby. Expect a tiny delay if you’re batch converting dozens of photos.

This method is a bit hidden, and I’ve seen it work on one setup but not others. Still, it’s worth a shot before installing extra apps.

Online Conversion Tools

For the non-Apple crowd — Windows, Android, or just lazy folks — online tools are often the easiest. CloudConvert is one I’ve used. It’s free for small batches, no registration needed, and pretty simple.

• Fire up your browser and go to CloudConvert.
• Click on “Select File” to upload your HEIC pics. You can usually drag and drop a bunch at once, which is nice.
• Select “JPEG” as your output format — it’s usually in a dropdown menu.
• Click “Convert” and wait a bit. Once done, download your JPEGs directly to your device.

Honestly, this is the easiest way when dealing with a handful of images. It’s not the fastest if you have hundreds, but for the occasional batch, it does the job. Just keep in mind that uploading and downloading can slow things down a bit.

All these methods get the point across: HEIC is awesome for storage, but converting it to JPEG is often necessary. Depending on what device and OS you’re on, pick the method that feels simplest.

• How to convert images using Mac Preview
• How to turn JPEG into PDF on Windows
• How to convert WebP to JPG
• How to change PDF to PNG

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