If you’ve tried uploading an iPhone photo to a website, opening it on a PC, or sending it to someone who isn’t fully in the Apple ecosystem, there’s a good chance you’ve run into the well-known HEIC format. iOS saves many images in HEIF/HEIC for efficiency, keeping great quality at a smaller file size—but that “magic” comes with a catch: compatibility doesn’t always keep up. Thankfully, converting a HEIC photo to JPG is easier than it looks, and in many cases you don’t even need to install apps full of ads and in-app purchases.
The key is choosing the right method for what you need: converting a few photos occasionally, forcing JPG straight from the camera, ensuring smooth transfers to Windows, or converting entire batches on macOS. And yes, even if it sounds like a side quest in a tech RPG, it’s really just a couple of well-placed settings and quick actions.
Convert HEIC to JPG directly on iPhone
One of the most reliable ways to convert photos without relying on third-party tools is using the Files app. The trick is to copy photos from Photos and paste them into a folder inside Files: when you do, iOS creates copies in JPG. It’s a convenient solution if you want to keep shooting in High Efficiency and only convert when needed—very common when you work with platforms that still “don’t speak HEIC.”
The process is straightforward. First, open Files and go to Browse. There you can choose a location, such as On My iPhone or iCloud Drive. Keep this in mind: if you pick iCloud Drive, those copies will use your cloud storage; if you save them on the iPhone, the space comes from the device itself. Press and hold on an empty area, create a new folder, and give it a recognizable name so you can keep your conversion “workshop” organized.
Then open Photos, tap Select, and mark all the images you want to convert (you can choose several at once). Tap the Share button and select Copy Photos. Go back to Files, open the folder you just created, press and hold on a blank space, and tap Paste. Instantly, you’ll see the files there in JPG format. Funny how the iPhone converts better within its own apps than many third-party “miracle” tools, isn’t it?
Another quick alternative—especially if you only need the JPG to send it or download it on another device—is email. When you attach photos to an email from iPhone, the system sends them already converted to JPG. Just select the photos in Photos, open the share menu, and choose a mail app like Mail or Gmail. If you email them to yourself, you’ll receive the attachments as JPGs, ready to open almost anywhere without codec battles or weird extensions.
And if you’d rather avoid converting every time, iOS lets you change the camera’s default format. In Settings, go to Camera, then Formats, and switch from High Efficiency to Most Compatible. With that, new photos will be saved as JPG. It’s a more “classic” approach—ideal if you work a lot with Windows or services that still expect JPEG as the de facto standard.
Transfers to PC: the setting that prevents headaches
When the goal isn’t converting a one-off photo but moving a whole library to a computer, there’s a specific setting that saves time—especially if you use Windows. In the iPhone’s Settings, find the Photos section and scroll to the bottom, where you’ll see Transfer to Mac or PC. There you can select Automatic, which forces the iPhone to transfer images in a PC-friendly format—usually JPG.
This matters because macOS handles HEIC more naturally, so the issue typically shows up when the destination is a PC. With Automatic enabled, transfers become far more seamless: photos arrive ready to edit, upload, or archive without relying on extra codecs. In a world where things should “just work,” this is one setting worth leaving on if you switch between platforms.
If you still end up with a mix of formats because you’ve been shooting in High Efficiency for years, the best approach is to combine strategies: keep HEIC on your iPhone to save space, and convert to JPG only when your workflow requires it—either from Files or during transfer. That flexibility fits real-world phone use, where storage and compatibility are constantly pulling in opposite directions.
Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac: Preview and batch conversions
On macOS, converting HEIC to JPG is very simple because the system supports it natively. One of the quickest ways is using Preview. After moving the photos to your Mac (for example via AirDrop or another method), locate the files, Control-click the image, and make sure it opens with Preview. If you want it to always open there, you can set it via the file’s Get Info panel and choose Preview under Open with, then apply it to all.
With the image open in Preview, go to the File menu and choose Export…. In the export window, select JPEG as the format. From there you can also rename the file, choose a destination, and adjust JPG quality—useful if you need to balance size and sharpness for the web or for email. When you save, you’ll have a JPG copy without touching the original.
Now, if we’re talking about lots of photos, doing them one by one is the kind of task that makes you rethink your life… or at least look for automation. That’s where Automator comes in, a macOS app that feels a lot like Shortcuts on iOS. You can create a Quick Action to batch-convert images to JPG. The recommended workflow is to add the Copy Finder Items action to generate copies (so you don’t lose the original HEIC files), and then Change Type of Images to switch the type to JPEG. Save the action with a recognizable name and, from then on, you just select the HEIC files in Finder, Control-click, and run your Quick Action from the menu.
And in case you’ve wondered after seeing different file extensions: JPG and JPEG are the same thing; “.jpg” is simply the shorter form. What matters is that once converted, the file behaves like a standard, old-school JPEG—compatible with virtually any app, website, or device.
