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PixelForgeHow to Convert HEIC to JPG
3 methods — PixelForge, macOS Preview, and Python
iPhones capture photos in HEIC format by default — a modern format that delivers excellent quality at half the file size of JPEG. The problem: HEIC isn't widely supported outside Apple's ecosystem. Windows, most websites, many Android devices, and older versions of Photoshop can't open HEIC files without extra steps. Here are three ways to convert HEIC photos to universally compatible JPEG.
Method 1: Using PixelForge (fastest, no software needed)
Convert hundreds of HEIC photos to JPEG in one batch — no Photoshop, no plugins, no iCloud export needed.
- 1Go to the Convert HEIC to JPG tool on PixelForge.
- 2Add your HEIC photos to a ZIP file and upload it.
- 3JPEG is pre-selected as the output format.
- 4Optionally adjust quality — 90 is recommended for lossless-looking results.
- 5Click Process and download your converted JPEG files as a ZIP.
You can also run other operations on your HEIC files in the same batch — resize them, strip EXIF data, or compress them alongside the format conversion. Use the Bulk Image Convert tool and select JPEG as the output.
Method 2: Using macOS Preview (free, built-in)
macOS Preview can open HEIC files natively and export as JPEG. Best for converting a small number of files without any software installation.
- 1Open the HEIC file in Preview (double-click, or right-click → Open With → Preview).
- 2Go to File → Export.
- 3In the Format dropdown, select JPEG.
- 4Adjust the quality slider if needed (85–100% is recommended).
- 5Click Save.
- 6To convert multiple files at once: select all HEIC files in Finder, open them all in Preview (File → Open), then select all thumbnails in the sidebar, go to File → Export Selected Images, choose JPEG, and click Choose.
For bulk conversion in Preview, select all files in the sidebar before exporting — otherwise only the currently visible image is exported. macOS Ventura and later support this natively without any plugins.
Method 3: Using Python (Pillow + pillow-heif)
Scriptable bulk HEIC to JPEG conversion — best for automated workflows, server-side pipelines, or converting large volumes of photos.
- 1Install the required libraries: pip install Pillow pillow-heif
- 2Run the script below, pointing it at your folder of HEIC files.
python
from PIL import Image
import pillow_heif
import os
# Register HEIF/HEIC support with Pillow
pillow_heif.register_heif_opener()
input_dir = "./heic-photos"
output_dir = "./jpeg-output"
QUALITY = 90 # 90 gives near-lossless results at significantly smaller file size
os.makedirs(output_dir, exist_ok=True)
for filename in os.listdir(input_dir):
if filename.lower().endswith((".heic", ".heif")):
img = Image.open(os.path.join(input_dir, filename))
base = os.path.splitext(filename)[0]
out_path = os.path.join(output_dir, f"{base}.jpg")
# Convert to RGB (JPEG doesn't support alpha)
img.convert("RGB").save(out_path, "JPEG", quality=QUALITY, optimize=True)
orig_size = os.path.getsize(os.path.join(input_dir, filename))
jpeg_size = os.path.getsize(out_path)
print(f"{filename} → {base}.jpg (HEIC: {orig_size // 1024}KB → JPEG: {jpeg_size // 1024}KB)")
print("Done!")pillow-heif requires libheif to be installed on your system. On macOS, install it with 'brew install libheif'. On Ubuntu/Debian, use 'sudo apt install libheif-dev'. On Windows, install the Windows binaries from the libheif GitHub releases.
Frequently asked questions
What is HEIC and why does my iPhone use it?
HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple's implementation of the HEIF standard. iPhones switched to HEIC by default in iOS 11 because it produces files roughly half the size of JPEG at the same perceptual quality — freeing up storage on your device. The downside is limited compatibility outside Apple's ecosystem.
How do I stop my iPhone from saving photos in HEIC?
Go to Settings → Camera → Formats and select 'Most Compatible'. This switches your iPhone to JPEG for new photos. Existing HEIC photos are not converted — you'll need to convert those separately. Note that JPEG uses roughly twice the storage of HEIC.
Will converting HEIC to JPEG reduce image quality?
JPEG re-encodes the image with lossy compression, so some quality is lost. At quality settings of 85–95%, the difference is visually imperceptible for almost all practical uses including printing and web publishing. Avoid converting between lossy formats repeatedly — each round trip accumulates quality loss.
Why can't Windows open HEIC files?
Windows does not include HEIC support by default. You can add it by installing the 'HEVC Video Extensions' from the Microsoft Store (it's free or a few dollars depending on your Windows version). Alternatively, converting to JPEG is the simplest way to get universally compatible files without installing anything.
Can I convert HEIC to PNG instead of JPEG?
Yes — use PixelForge's Convert HEIC to PNG tool. PNG is lossless, so no quality is lost, but PNG files are significantly larger than JPEG (typically 3–5× larger). Choose PNG if you plan to edit the images further or need pixel-perfect quality. For sharing and web use, JPEG is the better choice.
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