Converting HEIC Photos on iPhone, Mac, Windows & Android

The steps for converting a HEIC photo depend a lot on which device you're holding at the moment. This guide walks through each platform separately, so you can jump to whichever one applies to you.

The universal option first

Before getting into device-specific steps: if you just want the fastest path regardless of platform, our browser-based HEIC converter works the same way on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and Android, since it's just a website. Open it, drop in your photos, choose JPG or PNG, and download. Nothing is installed and nothing is uploaded. The rest of this guide covers the native options built into each platform, in case you'd rather not leave the device you're on.

On iPhone

Your iPhone can export photos as JPG without any extra apps:

1. Open the photo in the Photos app
2. Tap the Share icon
3. Choose where you're sending it — many destinations (like Mail or Messages to a non-Apple device) automatically convert HEIC to JPG behind the scenes

To stop new photos from saving as HEIC in the first place: go to Settings → Camera → Formats and select Most Compatible. This trades roughly double the storage space per photo for guaranteed JPG output straight from the camera.

On Mac

macOS has solid built-in HEIC support through the Preview app:

1. Open the HEIC file in Preview
2. Go to File → Export
3. Choose JPEG or PNG from the format dropdown
4. Adjust quality if exporting as JPEG, then click Save

For batches, select multiple HEIC files in Finder, right-click, and check for a "Convert" or "Quick Actions" option — availability depends on your macOS version. If it's not there, a browser-based converter handles batches more reliably.

On Windows

Windows needs one extra step before it can even view HEIC files, since decoding support isn't built in by default:

1. Install HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store (free)
2. Open the HEIC file in the Photos app
3. Click the … menu and choose Save as
4. Pick JPEG or PNG as the file type

If you'd rather skip installing anything, converting through a browser tool works immediately without touching your system's codec support — useful if it's a work computer where you can't install software freely. Our guide on why Windows won't open HEIC files covers this in more depth.

On Android

Android's support for HEIC is inconsistent across manufacturers and versions — some phones display HEIC photos fine in their gallery app, others don't. Since HEIC isn't something Android phones create themselves (they typically shoot JPG or their own formats), the more common scenario is receiving a HEIC photo from an iPhone user and needing to open or convert it.

The most reliable approach on Android is a browser-based converter, since it doesn't depend on which gallery app or codec your specific phone happens to include. Open the file manager, locate the HEIC photo (often in a Downloads or WhatsApp folder if it arrived via messaging), and upload it to a converter tool through your phone's browser.

What if you're helping someone less tech-comfortable?

If you're the designated tech support for a family member who's stuck with a HEIC photo they can't open, the simplest instructions to give them are usually the browser-based ones — there's no menu to hunt for, no setting buried three levels deep, and no risk of accidentally changing a system-wide setting. Send them the link, tell them to drag the photo in, and have them choose JPG. It's much easier to walk someone through over the phone than talking them through Preview's export menu or a Windows Store install.

Choosing between native tools and a browser converter

Native, built-in tools (Preview on Mac, Photos on Windows and iPhone) are convenient because there's nothing extra to open, but they handle one file — or a small batch — at a time and their exact steps shift between OS versions. A browser-based converter trades that native feel for consistency: the same drag-and-drop interface works identically no matter which device you're on, and it handles large batches without hunting for a hidden "convert" menu.

What if you're switching between multiple devices regularly?

If you find yourself moving photos between an iPhone, a Windows work laptop, and an Android tablet on a regular basis, it's worth settling on one consistent approach rather than re-learning the steps for each device every time. Bookmarking a browser-based converter tends to be the most sustainable habit here — it's the one method that behaves identically regardless of which device happens to be in front of you that day, so there's nothing extra to remember or reinstall when you switch machines.

Troubleshooting common issues

A few things that trip people up across platforms:

• The converted file looks rotated or flipped. This usually comes down to how orientation metadata in the original HEIC file is interpreted. Most conversion tools handle this automatically, but if you see it happen, re-exporting through a different method usually resolves it.
• Batch conversion seems to skip some files. Double check that every file in the batch is actually a HEIC/HEIF photo — Live Photo video components or other file types mixed into the same folder can cause a batch tool to silently skip them.
• The file won't open at all after converting. This is rare, but worth checking that the download actually completed and the file extension matches what your viewer expects (.jpg vs .jpeg is usually interchangeable, but occasionally causes confusion).

A quick note on privacy

If you're converting photos through a website rather than native OS tools, it's worth checking whether the tool actually uploads your files to a server or processes them locally in the browser. Our guide on HEIC converter privacy explains what to look for. Our own converter processes everything locally — your photos never leave your device, on any platform.