Convert iPhone HEIC Photos to JPG (Easy Guide)

You sent a photo from your iPhone to a friend with Windows. It opened as a strange .HEIC file they couldn't view. Welcome to the Apple-Microsoft format gap. Here's the simple fix.

What is HEIC?

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple's modern image format introduced in iOS 11. It compresses photos roughly 50% smaller than JPG at the same quality — which is great for storage but terrible for sharing with non-Apple devices.

Why HEIC files don't open everywhere

HEIC requires HEVC codec licensing. Apple includes it on iOS, macOS, and recent Windows 11 builds. But:

• Older Windows versions can't open HEIC without a paid extension
• Many WhatsApp/email clients struggle with HEIC attachments
• Most websites and CMS platforms reject HEIC uploads
• Many photo printing services don't accept HEIC

When to convert HEIC to JPG

• Sharing photos with Windows or Android users
• Uploading to websites, social media, or e-commerce platforms
• Printing photos at a service
• Sending to anyone whose tools you don't control

When NOT to convert

If you're keeping photos in your iCloud library, leave them as HEIC. They take less space and quality is identical or better than JPG.

How to convert HEIC to JPG (free, online)

1. Open PDF7 Image Convert
2. Drag your HEIC files (up to 20 at once)
3. Select JPG as the output format
4. Pick quality level (90%+ recommended for photos)
5. Click convert and download the JPGs

Other useful image conversions

• HEIC → PNG: When you need transparent backgrounds (rare for HEIC sources)
• HEIC → WebP: When uploading to modern websites that support WebP
• JPG → HEIC: Generally not useful — you lose compatibility

Stop iPhone from saving as HEIC (optional)

On iPhone: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. From now on, your phone saves new photos as JPG. Existing HEIC files stay as HEIC until you convert them.

Privacy

HEIC photos contain GPS metadata, camera info, and timestamps. By default we preserve EXIF — if you'd rather strip it, use compression mode which removes metadata.