If you've ever tried to upload an iPhone photo to a website, send it in an email, or open it on a Windows computer — and it didn't work — you've hit the HEIC problem.
Since iOS 11, iPhones save photos in HEIC format by default. It saves storage space, but it's incompatible with most apps and websites that expect JPG. Here's how to fix it — free, no software needed.
Apple switched the default iPhone photo format from JPG to HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) to save up to 50% storage space. The trade-off: HEIC doesn't open in many apps, websites, and even some email clients. Windows PCs can't open HEIC without installing extra software — and most people don't know that.
Use heic-tool.com — an online converter that works right in your browser:
No upload to any server. Your photos stay on your device the entire time. Free for 5 conversions per day.
Prevent the problem entirely by switching your iPhone to save photos as JPG:
Future photos will be saved as JPG. Existing HEIC photos in your library stay as HEIC — you'll still need a converter for those.
When you email an HEIC photo from your iPhone, Apple automatically converts it to JPG before sending:
This works for a few photos but is impractical for batch conversion.
iOS has a built-in workaround using the Files app (iOS 17+):
For quick conversions: heic-tool.com — instant, no install, works everywhere.
For future photos: switch iPhone camera to "Most Compatible" format.
For existing library: use the online converter for batch processing.
Yes. Live Photos are stored as a HEIC file plus a MOV video file. The HEIC part can be converted to JPG normally — but the "live" animation won't carry over. You'll get a static JPG image.
With heic-tool.com, the conversion uses 92% quality (same as iPhone's "Most Compatible" setting). The quality difference is imperceptible to the human eye.
iPhones can display HEIC natively. Windows cannot — unless you install the HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store. Converting to JPG makes the photo work everywhere.