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HEIC to JPG without uploading iPhone photos.
The decoder runs in this browser. Works on Windows and Android.
Why this comes up
An iPhone saves photographs as HEIC by default. It is a better format than JPEG — roughly half the size at the same quality — and Apple supports it everywhere. Almost nothing else does.
So the photos arrive somewhere else and stop working. Windows Explorer shows grey placeholder thumbnails, or offers a paid codec from the Microsoft Store. An older Android build shows nothing at all. An upload form rejects the file type outright. Someone replies to your email asking what a .HEIC is.
Why people upload them, and why they should not have to
Because HEIC needs a real decoder, and if your computer lacks one, the obvious move is to find a website that has one. That is a reasonable instinct and it is how most people end up handing photographs to a conversion service.
The trouble is what these photographs usually are. People do not convert holiday snapshots — those stay on the phone. They convert photographs of documents: a passport for a visa application, a driving licence for a rental, a signed form, a utility bill for proof of address, a medical letter. Those are precisely the images that should not be uploaded to an anonymous service, and the format is what forces the issue.
The decoder comes to you instead
This site bundles libheif — the same open-source decoder much other software uses — compiled to WebAssembly. It downloads once and runs in your browser tab. Your operating system does not need HEIC support, because the decoder is on the page.
That is why the first photo takes a moment longer than the rest, and why nothing is transmitted at any point.
Watch nothing leave
Open DevTools → Network → run a conversion. There is no upload endpoint to receive a file.
The HEIC tools
- HEIC to JPG — the usual answer, opens everywhere
- HEIC to PNG — lossless, for images you will edit
- HEIC to PDF — several photos into one document, which is what most submission forms actually want
Next time someone AirDrops you iPhone photos, open this page first.
Common questions
Why will Windows not open my iPhone photos?
Windows does not include a HEIC decoder by default and offers a paid codec from the Microsoft Store instead. Converting to JPG avoids the problem entirely.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The decoder is bundled with the page as WebAssembly and runs in the tab.
Does this work on Android?
Yes. It does not depend on the operating system having HEIC support, which is exactly why it works where the OS does not.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. Decoding and encoding both happen on your device. Nothing is transmitted.
Can I convert many photos at once?
Yes. Add the whole batch and download the results as a single zip.
Will I lose quality?
A little, since the image is decoded and re-encoded once. At the default setting it is not visible at normal viewing sizes. Use HEIC to PNG if you want no further loss.
Tools on this page
- HEIC to JPG — iPhone photos into JPEGs anything can open.
- HEIC to PNG — iPhone photos as lossless PNGs.
- HEIC to PDF — iPhone photos into a PDF, decoded here.
- Compress Image — Hit a size limit without guessing.