How-to · 4 min read
You pick a photo, hit upload, and the website says "file type not supported". Here's why that happens with iPhone photos, and how to get past it on any device.
Updated
Drop the photo into the converter on this page. It turns HEIC into a JPG, scales it to a web-friendly 2048 pixels on the longest side and strips the metadata, all inside your browser. Then upload the JPG instead. If the form names a specific limit, say "max 500 KB", use compress HEIC and type that number in.
Try it right here: For web uploads
Open full tool →Drop HEIC photos here
HEIC, HEIF · also JPG, PNG, WebP
or paste with Ctrl+V
There are three usual suspects, and they often show up together.
Your iPhone saves photos as HEIC by default. Lots of websites, especially job portals, government forms, marketplaces, school systems and older CMSs, only accept JPG and PNG. A HEIC either can't be selected at all or is rejected after you pick it.
An iPhone photo converted to JPG is often 2 to 5 MB, and larger on 48 MP models. Many forms cap uploads at 1 MB, 2 MB or 5 MB. You'll see "file too large" or, unhelpfully, a generic error.
Some forms, especially for ID photos and profile pictures, require specific pixel sizes, such as a minimum of 600×600 or a maximum of 2000 pixels on the longest side.
Here's the good news. On iPhone and iPad, Safari usually converts photos to JPG for you when:
In that case the website receives a JPG and never knows the photo was HEIC. Depending on your iOS version and the site, Safari may also offer a size choice. Behaviour isn't identical across every iOS version and browser, so don't rely on it for important uploads.
The automatic conversion is skipped in some common situations:
| Situation | What gets uploaded |
|---|---|
| Picking from the Files app instead of Photo Library | Usually the original HEIC |
| Photo AirDropped to a Mac, then uploaded from the Mac | HEIC |
| Photo imported to a PC with Keep Originals | HEIC |
| Photo downloaded from iCloud or a cloud drive | Often HEIC |
| A site that declares it accepts HEIC | HEIC, which it may then mishandle |
| Some in-app browsers and third-party browsers | Varies |
In all these cases, converting first is the reliable fix.
If the site still complains about size, type the limit, such as 1 MB, into compress HEIC.
The conversion runs on your computer, not on our server. There is no server, which is the point.
Forms describe limits in different ways. Here's how to read them.
Use the compressor and enter the limit. It tries the highest JPG quality that fits (it won't go below roughly quality 55) and only reduces the pixel dimensions if quality alone can't get there.
One subtlety: some websites count 1 MB as 1,000,000 bytes, others as 1,048,576. Our tools use the smaller, decimal value, so a file that fits "2 MB" here fits on either kind of site.
That's about dimensions, not size. Most iPhone photos are 4032×3024 or larger, so you'll pass easily unless you've already shrunk the image.
Use resize HEIC with a longest-edge preset, or an exact size like 1080×1080 for square profile photos. Combine with compression if there's a file size limit too.
iPhone photos usually contain the GPS location where they were taken. On a listing site or public profile, that can reveal your home address. The converter on this page removes all metadata by default, GPS included, because a website rarely needs any of it. If you want to keep the date and camera details, switch the metadata setting to Remove location instead.
Your iPhone stores some photos with a rotation tag instead of rotating the pixels. Websites that ignore the tag show them sideways. Converting with our tools bakes the correct orientation in. You can also fix it manually with our rotate tool.
iPhone photos use the Display P3 colour space. Some websites strip the colour profile when they process images, which can mute the colours. The converter on this page converts to sRGB by default, which avoids that.
Some forms filter the file picker by type, so HEIC files just don't appear. Convert first and the JPG will show up.
If you upload photos to fussy websites often, consider the iPhone camera setting Most Compatible, which saves new photos as JPG. Our iPhone camera settings guide explains the trade-offs. For everything else, our troubleshooting guide covers more HEIC headaches.
FAQ
Your photo is probably a HEIC file, and the site only accepts JPG or PNG. It may also be too large. Convert it to JPG and, if needed, compress it below the site's size limit.
Usually, yes. When you choose a photo from the Photos library in an upload form, Safari typically sends a JPG unless the site says it accepts HEIC. Picking from the Files app often sends the original HEIC.
Use a compressor that targets a file size, such as compress HEIC on this site. Type the limit, for example 2 MB, and it finds the best quality that fits without uploading your photo anywhere.
Check the size limit and dimensions. Some forms reject files over 1 or 2 MB, or images that are too large or too small in pixels. Compress or resize to fit.
Not always. Some sites treat 1 MB as 1,000,000 bytes and others as 1,048,576 bytes. Our tools use the smaller decimal value, so a file sized for 1 MB passes both.
The photo relies on an orientation tag that some websites ignore. Converting it with the orientation applied, or rotating it before upload, fixes it.
We use Google Analytics to count visits and which tools get used. It never sees your photos. Details