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HEIC vs JPEG on iPhone: keep it or convert it?

Keep HEIC on your iPhone. Convert to JPEG only when a photo leaves the Apple world: a Windows PC without the right extensions, an Android phone that can't decode it, a website upload form, or anyone whose browser isn't Safari. HEIC saves space; JPEG opens everywhere. You rarely need to give up one to get the other, because iOS already converts in many sharing situations and you can convert HEIC to JPG for the cases where it doesn't.

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This guide is about that one decision, for iPhone owners and the people they send photos to. If you are choosing a format for a website, read JPEG vs PNG vs WebP instead.

What is HEIC, and is it the same as HEIF?

Not quite. HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format, ISO/IEC 23008-12) is a container: it describes how to store images, image sequences, and their metadata in one file. HEIC is a HEIF file whose images are compressed with HEVC (H.265), the same codec iPhones use for video. The HEIF reference documentation maps HEVC-coded files to the .heic extension and other HEIF files to .heif (Nokia HEIF technical information).

Apple adopted it in iOS 11. In its 2017 developer session on HEIF, Apple said: "iOS 11 can capture and store HEIF images using the HEVC codec. Therefore, the extension you will be encountering is .HEIC" (WWDC17, High Efficiency Image File Format).

So when someone says "HEIF" and someone else says "HEIC", they usually mean the same iPhone photo. The difference matters only when a program supports the container but not the codec inside it, which is exactly what happens on Windows (see below).

How much smaller is HEIC than JPEG?

Apple doesn't promise a fixed number. Its support page says HEIF and HEVC "offer better compression than JPEG and H.264, so they use less storage space" while keeping the same visual quality (Apple Support). The one figure Apple has given is from that 2017 session: "With HEVC we see an average of 2X compression compared to JPEG" at the same visual quality (WWDC17).

Treat that as an average across Apple's test images, not as what will happen to your photo. Detail, noise, and resolution change the ratio from shot to shot. The practical consequence is the useful part: a JPEG made from a HEIC is usually larger than the HEIC it came from. That is expected, not a bug. If size matters after converting, run the JPEG through Compress.

When should you keep HEIC?

Keep HEIC when the photo stays in the Apple ecosystem:

  • It lives in your iPhone library or iCloud Photos. Apple says that when you share through iCloud Photos, "the media is preserved in its original format, resolution, and frame rate" (Apple Support).
  • You edit on a Mac. Preview and Photos open HEIC directly.
  • You care about storage on the phone. That is the reason the format exists.

Converting your whole library to JPEG gains nothing on Apple devices and costs space.

When should you convert HEIC to JPEG?

Convert when the next step doesn't understand HEIC. These are the common cases:

Where the photo is goingOpens HEIC?What to do
Another iPhone, iPad, or MacYesSend as is
Safari (iOS or macOS, version 17 or later)YesSend as is
Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Samsung InternetNoConvert to JPEG
Website upload forms (job portals, government forms, shops)Not alwaysConvert to JPEG
Windows 10 or 11 without HEIF and HEVC extensionsNoConvert, or install both extensions
Android 9 or laterDepends on the deviceConvert if in doubt
Printing services, older software, email to unknown recipientsUnknownConvert to JPEG

The browser row is the one that catches people. According to caniuse, Safari 17 and later is the only browser that displays HEIF images; Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and the Android browsers have no support. caniuse notes that HEIC is "complex and expensive to license", which is why it hasn't spread. So a site that shows your upload in the page, or processes it in the browser, may reject HEIC even if your own computer opens it fine. That is how SnapCompress started: an iPhone photo that several popular websites refused to accept.

How do you stop the problem before it starts?

You have three options, from most to least drastic.

  1. Shoot in JPEG. Go to Settings > Camera > Formats and choose Most Compatible. Apple says that afterwards "all new photos and videos will now use JPEG or H.264 format" (Apple Support). This affects new photos only and uses more storage. Choose High Efficiency to switch back.
  2. Let iOS convert when it shares. When you share through AirDrop, Messages, or email, Apple says that if the receiving device doesn't support the newer formats, "the media might automatically be shared in a more compatible format, such as JPEG or H.264" (Apple Support). Note the "might": it depends on what the receiving device reports, so it is not a guarantee.
  3. Control USB transfers. When you import over USB into Photos, Image Capture, or a PC, iOS may convert to JPEG on the way. If you want the original HEIC files instead, Apple's instructions are Settings > Apps > Photos > Keep Originals (Apple Support). Leave the default if you want JPEGs on your computer.

Messaging apps are where people get surprised. Whether a third-party app such as WhatsApp sends a JPEG or the original file depends on the app, on whether you send the photo as an image or as a document, and on the receiving phone. If the recipient needs a JPEG, send a JPEG.

Can Windows open HEIC files?

Yes, with two Microsoft Store extensions, and the second one is the catch.

  • HEIF Image Extension (free, published by Microsoft) lets Windows read and write the HEIF container.
  • Its Store description adds that "the HEVC Video Extensions package must be installed in order to view images stored in HEIF files that use the .heic, .hif or .heif file extensions."
  • HEVC Video Extensions is listed at US$0.99 in the US Store when I checked on October 8, 2026. A separate listing, HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer, is listed as free.

Installing both lets your PC open HEIC. It does not turn the file into a JPEG. If you forward that photo to someone else, they need the same extensions, or a JPEG.

Can Android open HEIC files?

Android added a HEIF decoder in Android 9, but Google marks it "device optional": the phone maker decides whether it is there, and 10-bit HEIF needs an optional HEVC profile on top (Android supported media formats). So two Android phones on the same version can behave differently. If you don't know the phone, send a JPEG.

How do you convert HEIC to JPEG?

On a Mac: open the file in Preview, choose File > Export, pick JPEG from the Format menu, and save. To convert several at once, open them in one Preview window, select them in the sidebar, and export (Apple Support: Preview).

On any device with a browser, including Windows, Android, and the iPhone itself: use HEIC to JPG. Drop the photo in, download the JPEG. Nothing is uploaded.

How SnapCompress converts HEIC in the browser

Since only Safari can display HEIC on its own, a web converter has two options: send your photo to a server, or bring its own decoder to your device. SnapCompress does the second. When you drop a .heic or .heif file, the page loads the open-source heic-to library, which packages libheif for the browser. libheif decodes the HEVC image on your device and SnapCompress encodes the JPEG there too.

A few details from the code that affect you:

  • The decoder is only downloaded when you add a HEIC file, so the page stays light for everything else.
  • The build used is plain JavaScript (asm.js), not WebAssembly with threads, so it works under a strict content security policy and doesn't need shared memory (SharedArrayBuffer).
  • It uses libheif 1.21 or later, which handles the HDR, 10-bit, and Display P3 photos newer iPhones take.
  • The default JPEG quality is 85, which is the SnapCompress recommendation for photos. You can change it with the slider.
  • The output keeps the original name with a .jpg extension, so IMG_1234.HEIC becomes IMG_1234.jpg.
  • Files up to 100 MB are accepted.

SnapCompress can't do the reverse. It decodes HEIC but doesn't encode it; if you need to create HEIC files, Preview on a Mac exports HEIC.

Common questions

HEIC questions

Something not covered here? Send a message through the customer support.

Does converting HEIC to JPEG lose quality?
A little. JPEG is a lossy format, so encoding the decoded HEIC as a JPEG is one more lossy step. Whether you can see it depends on the photo and the quality setting (85 by default on /heic-to-jpg). Keep the HEIC original if you might edit the photo later, and convert a fresh copy each time rather than converting a JPEG again.
Can I turn JPEGs back into HEIC?
Not with SnapCompress: it decodes HEIC but does not encode it. On a Mac, Preview can export HEIC from File > Export. Converting a JPEG to HEIC saves space but does not restore detail the JPEG already lost.

Related guides

Sources

All accessed October 8, 2026.

Further reading