How to Convert HEIC to JPG — The Complete iPhone Photo Guide

Why Are iPhone Photos HEIC?

Since iOS 11 (2017), Apple switched to HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) as the default photo format. HEIC files are roughly 50% smaller than equivalent JPEG photos while maintaining the same visual quality.

This saves significant storage on your iPhone — important when you're taking thousands of photos. However, HEIC isn't universally supported outside Apple's ecosystem, which creates friction when sharing photos with Windows users, uploading to certain websites, or using non-Apple software.

Method 1: Convert Online (Fastest)

The quickest way to convert HEIC to JPG is using a browser-based converter:

1. Open the HEIC to JPG converter on www.linku.in 2. Drag and drop your HEIC files (you can add multiple at once) 3. Adjust quality if needed (92% is the default sweet spot) 4. Click "Convert Now" and download your JPG files

This works on any device — iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Mac. Your photos never leave your device because all processing happens locally in the browser.

Method 2: Change iPhone Settings

You can make iPhone save photos as JPG instead of HEIC going forward:

1. Open Settings → Camera → Formats 2. Select "Most Compatible" instead of "High Efficiency"

This will save all future photos as JPG. The tradeoff: your photos will take up roughly twice as much storage space.

Method 3: Share as JPG from iPhone

When sharing photos from your iPhone, iOS can automatically convert to JPG:

1. Open the Photos app 2. Select the photo(s) you want to share 3. Tap Share → choose your sharing method

iOS automatically converts HEIC to JPG when sharing via email or to non-Apple services. However, this doesn't work for all apps, and you have less control over quality.

HEIC vs JPG Quality

When you convert HEIC to JPG, there's minimal quality loss if you use a quality setting of 90% or higher. The visual difference is imperceptible in most photos.

However, the file size will increase — a 2MB HEIC file might become 3-4MB as JPG. This is normal because HEIC's superior compression is being replaced by JPG's older, less efficient algorithm.

Batch Converting Many Photos

If you have dozens or hundreds of HEIC photos to convert, batch processing is essential. Linku's converter lets you drop multiple files at once and convert them all simultaneously. You can also resize while converting — useful if you want to create web-optimized versions at 1920×1080 or smaller.