Convert HEIC to JPG
To convert an iPhone HEIC photo to JPG, add it below: it's decoded on your device with libheif and saved as a 92%-quality JPG that opens everywhere. The photo is never uploaded.
Tip: add several files at once to convert them in one go and download them as a ZIP.
About converting HEIC to JPG
HEIC (.heic) files can be converted to JPG entirely in your browser — no software to install, no file upload, and no account required. The conversion runs on libheif (the reference HEIC decoder) compiled to WebAssembly, plus the browser's Canvas API directly on your device.
When you need JPG instead of HEIC
iPhones save photos as HEIC by default because it is roughly half the size of a JPG at similar quality. The catch is compatibility: many upload forms, older Windows and Android devices, print shops and photo tools still reject .heic files, while JPG works almost everywhere.
- Uploading a photo to a website or job/visa form that only accepts JPG
- Opening iPhone photos on a Windows PC without extra codecs
- Sending photos to a print service or an older photo editor
Device notes
- iPhone: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible makes the camera save JPG from now on. Existing photos stay HEIC.
- Windows: the Photos app may need extra HEIF/HEVC extensions from the Microsoft Store to open HEIC. You don't need them here — the decoder runs in the browser.
- Live Photos: the HEIC file holds only the still image; the short video is a separate file and isn't part of this conversion.
Quality and metadata
The JPG is encoded at 92% quality, which is visually very close to the original for photos. If you need a lossless copy, use HEIC to PNG instead (larger file). If a HEIC contains several images, the main (primary) photo is converted.
Camera metadata such as the date, camera model and GPS location is not copied into the JPG, which also makes it safer to share.
Technical comparison
| HEIC | JPG | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | image | image |
| Compression type | Lossy (HEVC intra-frame) | Lossy (DCT-based) |
| Typical file size | Small — roughly 40–50% smaller than an equivalent JPEG | Small — a fraction of an equivalent PNG for photographic content |
| Transparency support | Yes | No |
How to convert HEIC to JPG privately
Every step below runs on libheif (the reference HEIC decoder) compiled to WebAssembly, plus the browser's Canvas API inside this browser tab. Your .heic file is never uploaded to a server — there's no network request carrying it anywhere.
Add your HEIC file
Drag and drop, or click to select, a file (.heic). It's read straight from disk into browser memory — no upload step exists.
Convert locally
FreePrivateConvert converts it to JPG using libheif (the reference HEIC decoder) compiled to WebAssembly, plus the browser's Canvas API, entirely within this browser tab.
Download the result
Save your converted .jpg file. It only ever existed in this tab's memory — closing the tab without downloading discards it completely.
Troubleshooting
- "This HEIC file couldn't be decoded"
- The file may be damaged or not really a HEIC (for example a renamed JPG or video). Re-export it from the Photos app or AirDrop it again and retry.
- Conversion is slow on a phone
- Decoding a 12–48 megapixel HEIC takes real processing power. Convert one photo at a time and keep the tab open until the download appears.
Convert HEIC to JPG with ffmpeg (command line)
Prefer the terminal? This page uses libheif, the reference HEIC decoder, running in your browser; the equivalent ffmpeg command is:
ffmpeg -i input.heic -q:v 3 output.jpg- -i input.heic
- Your HEIC file.
- -q:v 3
- JPEG quality 3 on a 2-31 scale (lower is better; 2-3 is visually lossless).
- output.jpg
- The JPG file to create. ffmpeg picks the container from this extension.
Desktop ffmpeg only reads HEIC in recent releases (7.1 and newer), and iPhone photos can still fail on some builds.
Don't have ffmpeg installed? You don't need it: use the converter at the top of this page. It runs this conversion on your own device, and your file is never uploaded.
FAQ
- Is my file uploaded anywhere?
- No. Your file is read and processed inside this browser tab and never leaves your device. You can confirm it in your browser's developer tools: the Network tab shows no upload.
- Does converting HEIC to JPG reduce quality?
- JPG is lossy, so the image is re-encoded at 92% quality: visually very close to the original for photos, but sharp text, line art and flat colours can show slight artifacts. Transparent areas become white.
- Is there a file size limit?
- Yes: 500MB per file. There's no account and no limit on how many files you convert.
- What's the difference between HEIC and JPG?
- HEIC (High Efficiency Image Format) and JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) store data differently. HEIC: lossy (HEVC intra-frame). JPG: lossy (DCT-based). JPG is the standard lossy format for photographs — small file sizes achieved by discarding detail the eye is less sensitive to.
- Why convert HEIC to JPG?
- Common uses for JPG: Digital photographs; Web images where transparency isn't needed; Email attachments where size matters. DCT-based compression is highly efficient specifically for photographic, continuous-tone content.
- What MIME type does a .jpg file use?
- image/jpeg, the standard type for Joint Photographic Experts Group.
- What is the ffmpeg command to convert HEIC to JPG?
- Run: ffmpeg -i input.heic -q:v 3 output.jpg. This page does the same conversion with libheif, the reference HEIC decoder, running in your browser, so you don't need to install ffmpeg. Desktop ffmpeg only reads HEIC in recent releases (7.1 and newer), and iPhone photos can still fail on some builds.
Learn more: What is a HEIC file
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