Convert HEIC to JPG on iPhone — and How to Turn Off HEIC

Why iPhones shoot HEIC by default

Since iOS 11, iPhones default to HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) for still photos. HEIC produces smaller files than JPG at comparable visual quality, which helps stretch storage on devices. Apple's own apps handle HEIC seamlessly, and modern Macs open HEIC photos without any extra steps.

The problem shows up when photos leave the Apple ecosystem: Windows PCs without extensions installed cannot open HEIC files, many web upload forms reject them, and older photo editors do not support the format. The four approaches below address this at different levels — from stopping HEIC at the source to converting files you already have.

Method 1: Turn off HEIC — shoot in JPG from now on

If you want new photos to be JPG by default, this is the cleanest fix. It takes about thirty seconds:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap Camera.
3. Tap Formats.
4. Select Most Compatible. (The other option, "High Efficiency," is the HEIC setting.)

After this change, the Camera app captures JPG photos and H.264 video instead of HEIC and HEVC. Photos you took before this change are not affected — they remain as HEIC files on your device.

The trade-off: JPG files are larger. If storage is tight on your device, you may want to use one of the other methods rather than switching permanently.

Method 2: Automatic conversion on transfer to Mac or PC

iOS has a built-in setting that converts HEIC photos to JPG automatically whenever you transfer them to a computer. This is a good middle ground: your iPhone keeps shooting efficient HEIC files, but the computer always receives JPG.

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap Photos.
3. Scroll to the Transfer to Mac or PC section and select Automatic.

With "Automatic" selected, iOS detects whether the destination device supports HEIC. If it does (recent macOS), the original HEIC is transferred. If it does not (most Windows PCs, older Macs), iOS converts the file to JPG during transfer. The originals on your iPhone are unchanged.

If you select "Keep Originals" instead, HEIC files transfer as-is regardless of the destination — useful if you want to manage conversion yourself.

Method 3: Share-sheet trick for individual photos

For a single photo you need to send right now, the share sheet can convert on the fly without changing any permanent settings:

1. Open the photo in the Photos app.
2. Tap the Share button (the box with an arrow pointing up).
3. Send via Mail, AirDrop to a non-Apple device, or save to Files using the "Save to Files" option.

When sharing to non-Apple destinations, iOS frequently converts the photo to JPG automatically. However, this behavior is not always consistent — it depends on the destination app's declared capabilities. For guaranteed JPG output, use Method 2 (Automatic transfer) or Method 4 (direct conversion below).

The Files app copy approach works reliably: open a HEIC photo, tap Share, tap "Save to Files," and iOS often saves a JPG-compatible version in the Files app that you can then move or upload.

Method 4: Convert existing HEIC files in batch

If you have a collection of HEIC photos already taken — perhaps months or years of iPhone photos — none of the settings above will convert them retroactively. For that, a converter is the right tool.

HEIC Fox converts HEIC photos to JPG or PNG directly in your browser, including on iPhone itself. Open the site in Safari or Chrome on your iPhone, tap to select photos from your library, and download them as JPG. Everything runs locally using WebAssembly — your files are not uploaded to any server. You can process one photo or a batch of hundreds and download them individually or as a ZIP.

This is also useful when you need to share HEIC files with someone on Windows who has not set up the HEIF extensions — rather than asking them to change their PC settings, you can convert the photos yourself and send universally compatible JPGs. For more on the Windows side, see the guide on opening HEIC files on Windows 10 and 11.

Which method is right for your situation?

If you regularly share photos with Windows users or upload to web services, switching the Camera format to "Most Compatible" (Method 1) eliminates the problem at the source. If storage matters more than compatibility friction, keep HEIC enabled and use the "Automatic" transfer setting (Method 2) so Windows always receives JPG when you plug in your phone. For a large backlog of existing HEIC photos, batch conversion via HEIC Fox is the fastest path.