How to convert HEIC to JPG on any device

You email a photo from your iPhone, and the person on the other end can't open it. Or you upload a picture to a website and it's rejected. The culprit is almost always the same: HEIC, the format iPhones use by default. This guide explains what HEIC is, why so many apps choke on it, and how to convert it to the universally-supported JPG — in your browser, without uploading your photos anywhere.

What is HEIC, and why does Apple use it?

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple's default photo format since iOS 11. It's based on the HEIF standard and, at similar quality, produces files roughly half the size of JPEG. That's genuinely great for your phone's storage — a photo library takes up far less space. It also supports niceties like depth data and Live Photos.

The downside is compatibility. JPEG is understood by essentially everything made in the last 30 years; HEIC is not. Windows needs an extra codec, many websites reject it, older software can't read it, and plenty of email recipients just see a file they can't open.

When you should convert to JPG

• Uploading to a website or form that only accepts JPG/PNG.
• Sending to someone on Windows or Android who can't open HEIC.
• Editing in older software that doesn't recognise the format.
• Long-term archiving where you want maximum future compatibility.

When not to: if everything in your workflow already reads HEIC, keep it — you'll save space and quality. Converting to JPG re-encodes the image, so do it when you actually need the compatibility.

How to convert HEIC to JPG without uploading

Most "HEIC to JPG" converters upload your photos to a server. For holiday snaps that may be fine, but photos often carry GPS coordinates and timestamps in their metadata — you may not want those on a stranger's server. The private approach is to convert locally.

KeepItLocally's Image Converter runs entirely in your browser, with no backend at all:

• Open the Image Converter.
• Add your HEIC files — drag, paste, or pick them. Several at once is fine.
• Choose JPG as the output format (and optionally resize or set quality).
• Convert and download. The photos never leave your device.

A useful side effect: converting drops the location and camera metadata by default, so the JPG you share doesn't quietly reveal where the photo was taken.

HEIC vs JPG vs PNG — which should you pick?

• JPG — best all-round choice for photos you need to share or upload. Small and universal.
• PNG — better for screenshots, logos, or anything with sharp edges and text, and when you need transparency. Larger files.
• HEIC — keep it when you control the whole pipeline and want the smallest files.

If your goal is simply a smaller file rather than a different format, see our guide on compressing without losing quality — the same "shrink smartly, don't destroy" logic applies to images.