Convert iPhone Photos to JPG Supporting iOS 18
Last reviewed: 2026-06-14
HEIC is Apple's high-efficiency format since iOS 11. It saves space but doesn't open on all devices - convert to JPG for universal compatibility.
HEIC is a photo; HEVC is a video - for .mov files use the video converter instead.
When to Convert
Reach for a JPG copy when you are sharing with non-Apple users, uploading to a website or web form that rejects .heic, or opening the photo in older editing software that has no HEIC support. If none of those apply and you are staying inside the Apple ecosystem, the HEIC original is the smaller, higher-fidelity file to keep.
Other tools in the image-conversion set: extract frames from a GIF as individual PNG or JPG files, convert a raster PNG into a scalable vector with PNG to SVG, or flatten an SVG down to a fixed-pixel PNG with SVG to PNG.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Freetoolonline.com store my uploaded photos or converted JPG images?
No. Uploaded files are processed temporarily and deleted automatically after your session ends, so nothing lingers on our servers - which is also why the converted JPG images stop downloading once that window closes. Learn more in our session duration policy.
Does the conversion strip my EXIF metadata?
No - by default the EXIF metadata block is preserved on the JPG, PNG, or WebP output. To strip it, uncheck the EXIF option in Settings before you convert - useful for faster processing, or for privacy when you do not want device or shoot details to follow the converted file out to a recipient. The setting is per-batch, so the next conversion starts with EXIF preserved again unless you uncheck the option each time you want it stripped.
Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?
JPG is a lossy format, so some compression is applied during the export step. At the default quality 85 setting, the visual difference vs the HEIC original is imperceptible on any screen. The quality slider on this page caps at 85 (the slider range is 70-85); tick Auto-optimize above the slider to let the page pick a perceptually-equivalent target near 85, or untick it to slide manually within that range. If you need higher-quality output than 85 can deliver, keep the HEIC original or pick WebP via the format dropdown - those formats use better-than-JPEG compression at the same visual level.
Why are my converted JPGs larger than the HEIC originals?
HEIC uses HEVC compression that is roughly twice as efficient as JPEG for the same visual quality. Converting HEIC to JPG is expected to roughly double the file size at comparable quality. If the size increase matters for your use case, keep the HEIC source or consider WebP as a middle ground.
Can I convert 100 HEIC photos at once?
Yes, the tool accepts multi-select uploads. See our step-by-step guide for batch HEIC conversion - the workflow handles up to a few hundred files per session, each decoded server-side in turn, with the converted batch packaged as a single ZIP for download.
Why does Windows Photos show my HEIC as a blank thumbnail?
Windows 10 and 11 ship without a HEIC decoder by default. The Photos app shows a placeholder until you install the free "HEIF Image Extensions" from the Microsoft Store and the paid "HEVC Video Extensions" (or the free OEM-bundled variant that ships with some laptops). Installing both unblocks the preview, Explorer thumbnails, and File Open dialogs across Windows. If you only need the photos once, converting to JPG here is faster than the codec install.
Does the tool preserve Live Photos, Portrait Mode depth, or HDR gain maps?
No. JPG, PNG, and WebP output formats drop the Live Photo motion clip, the Portrait Mode depth map, and the HDR gain map - those fields are HEIC/HEIF container features that the target formats do not define. Keep the HEIC original if you need any of that metadata preserved for re-editing in Apple Photos or Affinity.
Should I change my iPhone's Camera Capture setting to "Most Compatible" instead of converting?
If you send photos to non-Apple recipients more often than you keep them, yes - Settings → Camera → Formats → "Most Compatible" switches capture to JPEG and avoids the conversion step entirely. The trade-off is roughly 2× storage per photo and no gain map for HDR. For most users who share often and edit rarely, "Most Compatible" at capture is the right default; this converter is the fix for the existing HEIC library you already took.
Does the conversion happen in my browser or on a server?
Both paths exist, and you choose. The default convert button uploads the file over HTTPS for fast server-side decoding, then sends the JPG, PNG, WebP, or PDF back to your device. There is also an opt-in "Or convert in your browser - no upload" panel: pick a HEIC photo there and it is decoded and re-encoded entirely on your device, so the file never leaves your browser. Use the in-browser panel when you want to keep the photo off any server; use the default upload path for the full batch and format options.