How to Change iPhone Photos from HEIC to JPG

iPhones save photos in HEIC format to fit more pictures in the same space. The catch: HEIC doesn’t open cleanly on many Windows PCs, older apps, and some websites. Here’s how to get standard JPGs, whether you need to fix existing photos or stop the problem for future ones.

Convert photos you already have

If you already have HEIC photos (on your computer, or exported from the phone), the fastest fix is a browser converter that keeps them private:

1. Open the HEIC to JPG converter.
2. Drag in your .heic files — you can do a whole batch at once.
3. Choose JPG and click Convert, then download individually or as a ZIP.

Nothing is uploaded; the conversion runs on your device, so there’s no file limit and no privacy concern with personal photos.

Get JPGs straight from the iPhone

To make the iPhone capture JPGs going forward:

Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible.

From then on, new photos are saved as JPG. Photos you already took stay as HEIC, so you’ll still convert those separately.

Make AirDrop / transfer send JPG automatically

There’s a lesser-known setting that converts photos to a compatible format when you transfer them off the phone:

Settings → Photos → scroll to “Transfer to Mac or PC” → choose Automatic.

With “Automatic” selected, photos are converted to JPG when you import them to a computer over USB. With “Keep Originals,” they transfer as HEIC. Choosing “Automatic” saves a conversion step for photos you move to a PC.

Which approach fits you?

For a pile of existing photos, the browser converter is the quickest and keeps everything on your device. For future photos, the camera setting solves it at the source.