Why your photos are HEIC
iPhones save photos as HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) by default. A HEIC photo is about half the size of the same JPG, which is why Apple uses it, but plenty of software still can’t open one: older Windows PCs, some Android phones, photo printing sites, job and visa application forms, and many website uploaders.
JPG is the format every device and website accepts, so converting is the quickest fix when someone says “I can’t open your photo.”
Good to know
- Quality. 90% keeps photos looking the same as the original. Drop to 80% if you need smaller files for email.
- Location data is removed. The JPG is redrawn from the pixels, so the GPS position, camera details and other metadata in the original don’t carry over.
- Live Photos convert as the still picture only.
- Want to stop getting HEIC? On the iPhone, go to Settings → Camera → Formats and choose Most Compatible. New photos are then saved as JPG.
Questions
Is it safe to convert my photos here?
Yes. The conversion runs in your browser on your own device. Your photos are never uploaded to Send Shed or anywhere else.
Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?
Very little at 90% quality, which is the default. JPG files are usually a bit larger than the HEIC original.
Can I convert many HEIC photos at once?
Yes. Pick or drop as many as you like, then download them one by one or all together as a .zip file.
More converters
Need to send the result to someone? Send it with Send Shed: free, no account, up to 3 GB per file.