How to convert HEIC photos from an iPhone to JPG, PNG or PDF

If you have ever transferred photos from an iPhone to a Windows PC and found files ending in .heic that nothing will open, you have met Apple's default photo format. HEIC is a good format: it stores the same photo at roughly half the size of a JPG with no visible loss and supports features JPG cannot. But support outside Apple devices is patchy, and many websites, forms and older applications simply reject it. This guide explains what HEIC is, how to convert it, and how to avoid the problem.

What HEIC is

HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container. It is Apple's name for images stored in the HEIF container (High Efficiency Image File Format, standardised by MPEG) using HEVC/H.265 compression, the same codec used for 4K video. Apple made it the default camera format in iOS 11 in 2017. Compared with JPG it offers:

• about 40–50 percent smaller files at the same quality,
• 16-bit colour and wide colour gamut (Display P3),
• transparency and multiple images in one file (Live Photos, bursts, depth maps),
• lossless editing metadata, so crops and adjustments can be undone.

The catch is that HEVC is patent-encumbered, so Windows does not ship a decoder by default (it is a paid add-on in the Microsoft Store), Android support arrived gradually, and most web browsers still cannot display HEIC in a page. Hence the conversion.

When to convert

Convert when the destination needs JPG or PNG: uploading to a website or form that lists accepted formats, sending to someone on Windows or an older Android phone, inserting into a document that will be shared, or submitting ID and proof documents to a portal. Do not convert your own library "just in case": the HEIC originals are smaller and higher quality, and Apple's apps handle them perfectly. Keep the originals and convert copies when needed.

Converting on webutilitypro.com

1. Open HEIC to JPG (or HEIC to PNG if you need transparency or lossless output).
2. Upload one or more .heic files. Files from an iPhone can be 2–5 MB each.
3. Click Convert. Each HEIC becomes one JPG (or PNG). Orientation stored in the photo's metadata is applied, so sideways photos come out the right way up.
4. Download. Multiple results are packaged as a ZIP. Files are removed from our server after 60 minutes.

For documents, HEIC to PDF puts each photo on its own PDF page, which is the usual request when a form asks for "a PDF of your passport" and you have a photo of it. To combine photos of several pages into one PDF, use Image to PDF after converting, or upload all the HEIC files to HEIC to PDF at once.

JPG or PNG?

JPG is the right choice for photographs: smaller files and universal support. PNG is lossless and keeps transparency, but a photo saved as PNG is often three to five times larger than the JPG with no visible benefit. Choose PNG only for screenshots, images with transparent areas, or when a system specifically demands it. Our comparison of JPG, PNG, WebP and SVG goes into the details.

What is lost in conversion

• Some quality. HEIC is lossy and JPG is lossy, so this is a second compression. At JPG quality 90 or higher the difference is invisible for ordinary viewing, but it exists.
• Wide colour and HDR. JPG is 8-bit sRGB. Vivid reds and greens captured in Display P3 are mapped into the smaller sRGB range. PNG preserves more precision but still not the HDR gain map.
• Live Photo motion, depth data, and burst frames. Only the still image is converted.
• Edits may be baked in. If you cropped or adjusted the photo on the phone, the converted file shows the edited version (which is usually what you want).
• Location and camera metadata are generally preserved in JPG. If you are posting the photo publicly, consider stripping location data; many photo apps have an option for this when sharing.

Converting on your own device

• iPhone or iPad: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible makes the camera shoot JPG from now on. Separately, Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → Automatic converts HEIC to JPG when you copy photos by cable. Sharing a photo by email or through most apps also sends a JPG automatically.
• Mac: Preview opens HEIC natively; use File → Export and choose JPEG. Selecting several photos in Photos and choosing File → Export → Export Unmodified Original keeps HEIC, so use the regular Export with JPEG format instead.
• Windows 10/11: install the "HEIF Image Extensions" and "HEVC Video Extensions" from the Microsoft Store (the HEVC one is paid in most regions, though some device makers provide it free). Photos and File Explorer can then open HEIC and save copies as JPG.
• Command line: ImageMagick (magick photo.heic photo.jpg) or heif-convert from libheif convert in bulk.

For private photos, these on-device options keep the images on your own hardware, which is the better choice.

Common problems

• "Unsupported file" when uploading to a website. The site does not accept HEIC. Convert to JPG first.
• Photo arrives sideways after conversion. The converter ignored orientation metadata. Ours applies it; if another tool did not, rotate the result in any image viewer.
• File size went up. PNG was chosen for a photo, or the JPG quality was set to 100. Use JPG at 85–92.
• Colours look flatter than on the iPhone. The P3-to-sRGB mapping and the lack of HDR on the destination screen. Nothing was done wrong; this is the difference between the two formats.

HEIC is likely to be around for years, and support is improving, but when a form or a colleague needs a JPG today, a one-minute conversion is the fix.