How to Convert HEIC to JPG (and Why Your iPhone Photos Won't Open)

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the format iPhones have used by default since iOS 11. It stores photos at roughly half the file size of an equivalent JPG, which is great for saving space on your phone and in iCloud — but the trade-off is compatibility. Many Windows PCs, older browsers, some Android phones, and plenty of websites still can't open HEIC files directly.

JPG, on the other hand, is supported everywhere. That's why converting HEIC to JPG is usually the fastest fix when a photo won't open, won't upload, or shows up as a broken thumbnail after you've sent it to someone.

The simplest way to convert is directly in your browser: drop your HEIC file into a converter, choose JPG as the output, and download the result. Because the conversion runs locally using the Canvas API, your photos never get uploaded to a server — which matters if the photos are personal, and also means there's no waiting on an upload or download round-trip.

If you only need to share a photo once, iPhones will often convert HEIC to JPG automatically when you send it via Mail or Messages, depending on your Camera settings under Settings → Camera → Formats. For a permanent converted copy, or for converting many photos at once, a batch converter is faster than converting one at a time.