How to convert HEIC photos to JPG on Windows

You probably ran into HEIC by accident. An iPhone user sent you some photos. The thumbnails look fine in a preview pane, but a few of them have a .HEIC extension and your usual workflow does not know what to do with them. Email them to a friend who is also on Windows? Same problem. Upload them to an old photo book printing service? It rejects the file.

This article explains the format, what Apple was trying to do, and the most reliable ways to convert HEIC to JPG without losing the photo's date, camera info, or quality.

What HEIC actually is

HEIC ("High Efficiency Image Container") is Apple's name for a HEIF file — a modern image container that uses the HEVC codec (also known as H.265) to compress still images. The same codec is used for HEVC video, which is the default for iPhone video recording.

The result is much smaller files than JPG at the same visible quality. Typical numbers:

• A 4032 x 3024 photo from an iPhone camera saved as JPG: about 3 to 5 MB.
• The same photo saved as HEIC: about 1.5 to 2.5 MB.

Apple switched to HEIC as the default in iOS 11 (released in 2017) for exactly that reason. Most users will not notice a quality difference, and their iCloud storage and device storage last a lot longer.

Why Windows acts confused

HEIC is a real, well-defined standard. The reason Windows is awkward about it has more to do with licensing than technology. HEVC carries patent royalties that Microsoft has chosen not to bundle into Windows by default. Modern Windows (10 and 11) can read HEIC, but you have to install two specific apps from the Microsoft Store first:

1. "HEIF Image Extensions" (free).
2. "HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer" (around a dollar) — or the equivalent free version that ships with some prebuilt PCs.

After installing both, Photos and File Explorer can preview HEIC files. Many third-party tools (older versions of Photoshop, free photo editors, web upload forms) still cannot. Converting to JPG is often the path of least resistance.

The simple way: convert in your browser

The easiest fix for one or a small batch of files is a browser-based converter. Drag your HEIC files in, pick JPG as the output, hit convert. day2dayfile does this locally — your photos stay on your computer.

Tips:

• Use JPG quality 85 to 90 for general use. JPG at 100 is usually overkill and produces unnecessarily large files.
• If file size matters less than image fidelity, use PNG instead of JPG. The file will be much larger but lossless.
• If the destination supports WebP, that is a great middle ground — smaller than PNG, sharper than JPG at the same file size.

The bulk way: change your iPhone's setting

If you regularly move photos from an iPhone to Windows or a non-Apple workflow, you can tell the phone to capture in JPG directly:

1. Open Settings on the iPhone.
2. Scroll to "Camera" and tap it.
3. Tap "Formats."
4. Switch from "High Efficiency" to "Most Compatible."

From that point on, new photos save as JPG and new videos save as H.264 MP4. Existing photos in your library stay HEIC; only new captures change.

Trade-off: your photos and videos will take up more space on your phone and in iCloud. Roughly 40 to 50% more, depending on the content.

Preserving photo metadata when you convert

Photos contain a chunk of metadata called EXIF — date taken, GPS location, camera model, exposure settings, and more. Different converters handle this differently:

• Some preserve EXIF in full. Useful if you organize your photo library by date taken or location.
• Some strip it entirely. Useful if you are sharing photos publicly and do not want your home address embedded in the file.
• Some keep only basic info (date and camera) and strip location.

If preserving EXIF matters to you, check that the converter actually does. Some browser-based tools strip everything by default for privacy.

What about HEIC video files?

A common confusion: HEVC and HEIC are not the same. HEVC is the video codec; HEIC is the still-image container. iPhone videos use HEVC inside an MP4 or MOV container. The fix for video is similar though — convert to H.264 MP4 if your tools cannot handle HEVC.

If a single photo refuses to convert

Occasionally a HEIC file fails to convert anywhere. Usually one of three things:

• The file is corrupted (interrupted transfer, bad SD card, etc.). Try re-airdropping or re-syncing from the source.
• It is a "Live Photo" — a HEIC paired with a short MOV. The HEIC part should convert fine on its own; the motion clip is a separate file you can delete or convert separately.
• It is a screen recording or screenshot from a recent iPhone that uses an unusual variant. Re-saving from the iPhone's Photos app usually produces a more standard file.