How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Windows & Mac (5 Free Methods)

We’ve all been there: you drop a bunch of photos from your iPhone onto your computer, go to open them in Photoshop or upload them to a website, and run into a brick wall. Because HEIC is Apple’s proprietary standard, just about everything outside their ecosystem pretends the files don’t even exist.

The good news is, you really don't have to upload your personal photos to some sketchy online conversion site just to fix it. Your operating system actually has everything you need to handle this locally without giving away your data.

• Single File (Windows 11): Just open it in Paint and do a quick export.

• A Whole Folder (Windows): Grab PowerToys to knock out bulk conversions quietly in the background.

• A Whole Folder (Mac): Highlight your photos and use the built-in Quick Actions tool.

• Power Users (Mac & PC): Fire up Terminal or PowerShell with sips or ImageMagick for lightning-fast command-line batching.

The Quick Decision Guide: Which Route Should You Take?

Honestly, the best method comes down to what operating system you're sitting in front of and how many files you’re dealing with. If you're just sending a quick snapshot over to a client, you don't need the same workflow you'd use for sorting through a decade's worth of family backups. Lean on your built-in tools when it’s just a couple of files, but definitely reach for dedicated batch utilities or the command line the moment you have more than fifteen or twenty pictures to chew through.

Converting HEIC to JPG on Windows 10 & 11

Windows has notoriously dragged its feet when it comes to playing nice with Apple formats, but thankfully recent updates have smoothed things out quite a bit. You definitely don’t have to install bloated, ad-supported software anymore just to see your own photos.

The Built-in Route (Windows 11 Paint & Photos)

If you're running Windows 11, the updated Paint app can open HEIC files natively without making you hunt down extra codec packs. Just pull up the photo in Paint, head to File, and hit Save as JPEG. Just keep in mind that Paint has a habit of stripping out EXIF data, like your camera settings and GPS tags, during the save.

If you're archiving shots where that info matters, stick with PowerToys or CopyTrans instead. But if you just need a quick, no-fuss image right now, Paint works great.

Right-Click File Explorer Integration (CopyTrans)

If you find yourself constantly wrestling with Apple media on Windows, having something baked right into your context menu is a lifesaver. Grab a free utility called CopyTrans HEIC for Windows - it generates proper thumbnails in File Explorer so you can actually see what you’re looking at. From there, you can grab up to 100 files, right-click, hit "Convert to JPEG with CopyTrans," and it’ll rip through them in just a few seconds.

Chewing Through Massive Folders (PowerToys)

If you want a native, reliable workhorse, do yourself a favor and install Microsoft PowerToys. Head into its settings, turn on the Image Resizer module, and configure it for JPEG. After that, you can select hundreds or thousands of HEIC files at once, right-click, and let it churn through them silently in the background without locking up your system or hogging all your memory.

Converting HEIC to JPG on macOS

Because macOS is built from the ground up to support modern Apple formats, viewing these files is effortless. Prepping them to send to a Windows colleague or uploading them to a finicky web portal only takes a couple of clicks.

Built-in Quick Actions & Preview

If you’re only dealing with one or two shots, double-click to open them in Preview, go up to File, and choose Export as JPEG. If you’ve got a whole batch, select all the images in Finder, right-click, head down to Quick Actions, and pick Convert Image. Switch the format over to JPEG and keep the slider set to actual size so you don’t accidentally compress your resolution.

The Terminal Shortcut for Power Users (The sips Command)

You really don't need a third-party app if you're comfortable in the terminal. Pop open your Terminal app (if you ever need to track down resource hogs while running scripts, we break that down in our Ctrl+Alt+Del on Mac guide) and cd into your target directory.

Punch in *sips -s format jpeg .heic --out ./converted/ and it will instantly transform every file in the folder. Because sips is built straight into macOS, it handles system resources smoothly even on huge collections.

Neat Workarounds on iOS & Android

Sometimes it’s a lot easier to fix the problem right on your phone before the files ever make their way to your computer.

The iOS Files App Clipboard Trick

Here’s a handy little shortcut: open your Photos app, select the images you want, and copy them. Then, open the native Files app, navigate to an empty local folder, and simply paste them in. iOS will automatically transcode every single image into a regular JPEG during the paste. From there, you can plug into your computer or upload to the cloud without running into compatibility headaches later.

How to Stop Your iPhone from Shooting in HEIC

If you’re tired of converting altogether, you can tell your phone to stick to standard formats. Go into Settings, tap Camera, and choose Formats. (If your device ever acts up or freezes while tweaking settings, take a peek at how to force restart any iPhone to get unstuck.) Switch from High Efficiency to Most Compatible. Your phone will shoot straight to standard JPEG from now on - just be aware that photos will take up roughly 50 percent more storage space.

Command-Line Powerhouse for Developers (ImageMagick)

If you’re building automated workflows or working across multiple platforms, ImageMagick is pretty much the gold standard. You can grab it via Winget on Windows or Homebrew on a Mac in seconds.

Once installed, simply navigate to your folder and run *magick mogrify -format jpg .heic. It’ll convert everything right in place while keeping all your precious EXIF metadata intact, which is why photographers and archivists love it.

When You Should Actually Leave Your Photos as HEIC

Converting everything automatically isn't always the best move. If you mainly share photos between Apple gear using AirDrop, there's no reason to touch them. HEIC captures up to 16-bit color depth, which leaves the rigid 8-bit limits of standard JPEGs in the dust.

That extra color data is gone forever once you downgrade to JPEG, so if you plan on color grading or fine-tuning those shots in Lightroom down the road, keep your original HEICs safe and only export JPEGs when you have to share. Plus, keeping them in HEIC cuts your iCloud storage usage in half.

Quality vs. File Size: What to Expect When Converting

Every time you transcode an image, you're making compromises under the hood. Going from High Efficiency to JPEG is going to balloon your storage footprint by about 50 percent, meaning that a standard 2.5 MB iPhone capture easily expands to around 4 MB on your drive. When you’re batching these out, aim for an export quality between 80 and 90 percent.

Drop below 75% and you’ll start seeing nasty banding across skin tones and skies. Push it past 92% and you won't notice any visible benefit, but the file size will explode and defeat the purpose. Keeping it right around 85% gives you a crisp 3.8 MB file - that’s the sweet spot you want.