Convert on the phone, skip the computer
Most HEIC advice assumes you have a computer handy. But often you just need a JPG right now: a form on your phone wants one, or someone on Windows asked for “the photo, not that weird file”. This page runs in Safari on your iPhone and does the conversion on the phone’s own processor. Nothing is uploaded, which also means it works on patchy mobile data.
Step by step in Safari
- Open this page in Safari.
- Tap Choose files. iOS offers Photo Library, Take Photo and Choose File. Pick Photo Library to select from your camera roll, or Choose File for HEICs in the Files app.
- Select one photo or dozens, then tap Add.
- Each photo converts on the phone, usually in a second or two.
- Tap Save. The Share sheet opens; tap Save Image (or Save Images for several) and the JPGs land in Photos.
You’ll now have both versions in your library. Delete the HEIC originals if you don’t need them, though they’re the higher-quality, smaller copy.
Converting vs changing the camera setting
There’s also a “never deal with this again” option. Which is right depends on what you need:
| Convert here | Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible | |
|---|---|---|
| Affects existing photos | Yes, the ones you pick | No |
| Affects future photos | No | Yes, all of them |
| Storage used | Only what you convert | Roughly double for new photos |
| Keeps HEIC’s 10-bit colour | Yes, the original stays | No, for new photos |
| Effort | A few taps each time | Once |
A middle route: keep shooting HEIC and use Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC → Automatic, which converts when you copy photos over a cable. Our guide to iPhone camera settings explains each switch.
A note on very large photos
Newer iPhones can shoot 48 MP photos. Safari caps how big an image a web page can work with, so on iPhone and iPad these may be scaled to about 16 MP during conversion. That’s still plenty for screens and most prints. For full-resolution 48 MP JPGs, run the same files through HEIC to JPG on a computer.
Make it one tap away
In Safari, tap the Share button and choose Add to Home Screen. The converter then opens like an app and works offline, handy when you’re somewhere with no signal and a form that refuses HEIC.