HEIC to JPG Converter
Why an iPhone photo won't open everywhere
iOS captures HEIC by default — HEVC image data wrapped in a HEIF container. Windows needs the paid HEVC codec extension to decode it, older Photoshop builds crash on it, plenty of CMS and form uploaders reject the file type outright, and a long tail of email clients strip it before delivery.
- HEIC
- Efficient, Apple-native
- JPG
- Universal
- Default quality
- 85
JPG sidesteps every one of those. You lose alpha (HEIC rarely uses it), 10-bit color, and any Live Photo motion or depth data — none of which would have survived the recipient's viewer anyway.
What the JPG quality slider does after HEIC
HEIC is already lossy — you are re-quantizing decoded pixels into JPEG. The good news: phone HEICs are tuned for efficiency, so a single JPG pass at 85 rarely shows damage at normal zoom. The bad news: two lossy passes stack, so avoid 70-quality JPG exports if the image still has clean skies or skin.
- 85: my default for uploads, email, and Slack.
- 90-92: when someone will re-edit or crop hard.
- 78-80: only for aggressive attachment size caps.
Pick quality 85 and move on
HEIC is already compressed, so a JPG pass at quality 85 typically stays visually indistinguishable from the source. Push to 90+ if the image will be edited further and you want headroom; drop to 80 only when bandwidth really matters.
Things that don't make the trip to JPG: depth maps, Live Photo motion, HDR metadata, and any secondary frames stored in the HEIF container. If any of those matter, keep the HEIC alongside the JPG rather than converting one-way.
When to export PNG instead of JPG
Choose PNG from HEIC when the next step is compositing, heavy color work, or handing pixels to a designer who cannot tolerate another lossy save. Expect a much larger file — that is the trade for skipping the second lossy pass.
HEIC to JPG questions, answered
Why won't my HEIC file open on Windows or in my browser?
HEIC is HEVC inside a HEIF container. Windows often needs the HEVC Video Extensions, older creative apps choke, and many uploaders reject the MIME type. Converting to JPG sidesteps those support gaps.
Does HEIC to JPG lose quality?
HEIC is already lossy. A JPG export at quality 85 is usually visually indistinguishable from the decoded HEIC for sharing. You still add a second lossy pass — for critical edits, keep the HEIC or export PNG instead.
What JPG quality should I use for iPhone HEIC photos?
Default to 85 for email, CMS, and social. Use 90+ if another edit pass follows. Drop to 80 only when bandwidth is tight. Below 75, skies and skin start showing JPEG artifacts.
Does HEIC to JPG keep Live Photos or depth data?
No. JPG is a single raster frame. Motion, depth maps, and auxiliary HEIF payloads are dropped. Keep the original HEIC if you still need those features.
Is HEIC smaller than JPG?
At similar visual quality, HEIC is often smaller than JPG on phone captures. After converting to JPG for compatibility, file size may grow slightly — that is the cost of the universal format.