Convert HEIC to JPG in your browser
The quickest fix, with nothing to install, is to turn the photos into JPGs, which every Windows program opens.
- Open HEIC to JPG.
- Drop in your HEIC photos. You can convert many at once.
- Download each JPG, or all of them as one ZIP file.
The conversion runs on your own computer, so private photos are never uploaded anywhere.
Add HEIC support to the Photos app
Windows 10 and 11 can show HEIC photos in the Photos app and in File Explorer thumbnails once two extensions from the Microsoft Store are installed:
- HEIF Image Extensions, which is free.
- HEVC Video Extensions, which has a small fee. HEIC photos are compressed with HEVC, so Photos needs it to decode them.
After installing both, double-click a HEIC file and it opens in Photos. Other programs, and websites you upload to, may still not accept HEIC, so converting is often still needed.
Make your iPhone save or send JPG instead
- Save new photos as JPG: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. Photos take more space on the phone.
- Convert when copying to a PC: Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → Automatic. Photos copied over a cable arrive as JPG, while the phone keeps HEIC.
Why iPhones use HEIC
HEIC stores a photo of the same quality in roughly half the space of a JPG, so iPhones have used it by default since iOS 11. The catch is compatibility: JPG works everywhere, HEIC does not.
Which way to pick
| Situation | Best option |
|---|---|
| A few photos to email or upload | Convert them to JPG |
| A whole library to browse on the PC | Install the Store extensions |
| Photos going into Word, Photoshop or a form | Convert, since many programs reject HEIC |
| You keep running into the problem | Switch the iPhone camera to Most Compatible |
Common problems
- The thumbnail shows but the photo will not open. Only the HEIF extension is installed. The video extension is what decodes the image data.
- A converted photo is rotated wrongly. HEIC stores the orientation separately. Convert with a tool that applies it, or rotate the JPG afterwards.
- Live Photos convert to a still. A HEIC from a Live Photo has a short video alongside it. Converting keeps the frame only, which is usually what you want.
- The JPG is much larger than the HEIC. That is expected: HEIC stores the same quality in about half the space. Compress the JPG if a form has a size limit.