How to Convert HEIC to
JPG on Mac

Why Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac?

Since iOS 11, every iPhone captures photos in HEIC format (High Efficiency Image Container) by default. HEIC uses the HEVC codec to compress images roughly 50% smaller than JPG at comparable visual quality — a meaningful savings when you are shooting thousands of photos on a 128 GB phone.

Your Mac handles HEIC natively. Preview, Photos, Quick Look, and Spotlight all read HEIC without any extra software. But the moment you step outside the Apple ecosystem, problems appear:

• Windows compatibility — Windows 10/11 requires a paid HEVC codec extension from the Microsoft Store. Many Windows users simply cannot open your HEIC files.
• Web uploads — most CMS platforms, form builders, and social networks expect JPG or PNG. HEIC uploads are silently rejected or produce errors.
• Email attachments — corporate email servers and older clients may strip or quarantine unknown file types.
• Print services — photo printing websites overwhelmingly accept JPG and PNG only.
• Third-party editors — while support is growing, many image editors still lack HEIC import.

The bottom line: JPG remains the universal standard for photo sharing. Converting HEIC to JPG guarantees your photos work everywhere, on every device and platform.

Method 1: Convertio Online Converter (Fastest)

If you just need to convert a few HEIC photos quickly, the converter widget at the top of this page is the fastest route. No software to install, no settings to configure — it works in any browser on any Mac.

Steps

1. Drag and drop your HEIC file onto the converter widget above (or click Choose HEIC File).
2. The conversion starts automatically. Your file is uploaded over an encrypted HTTPS connection.
3. Click Download JPG when the conversion completes — typically within a few seconds.

Why use the online converter?

• Zero setup — works immediately in Safari, Chrome, or Firefox.
• Works on any Mac — including older macOS versions where Quick Actions are not available.
• Also supports AVIF, PNG, WebP, BMP, TIFF, and PSD — not just HEIC.
• No file size limit issues — handles files up to 50 MB.

Method 2: Preview — Export As JPEG

Preview is the built-in image viewer on every Mac, and it has a straightforward export feature for format conversion. This method gives you control over JPEG quality, which none of the other native methods offer.

Steps

1. Open the HEIC file in Preview. Double-click the file, or right-click and choose Open With > Preview.
2. Go to File > Export (or press Shift + Cmd + E on macOS Sequoia and later).
3. In the Format dropdown, select JPEG.
4. Adjust the Quality slider. A setting of 85–90% provides excellent quality with reasonable file size. Move it to 100% for maximum fidelity.
5. Choose a save location, rename the file if needed, and click Save.

Batch conversion in Preview

Preview can convert multiple images at once:

1. Select all your HEIC files in Finder.
2. Right-click and choose Open With > Preview. All images open in a single Preview window with a sidebar.
3. Press Cmd + A to select all thumbnails in the sidebar.
4. Go to File > Export Selected Images.
5. At the bottom of the save dialog, choose JPEG as the format. Set your quality level.
6. Pick a destination folder and click Choose.

This works well for 10–50 images. For larger batches (hundreds of files), the Terminal method below is significantly faster.

Method 3: Finder Quick Actions (Right-Click)

Starting with macOS Monterey (12.0), Apple added a built-in Convert Image Quick Action directly in the Finder right-click menu. This is the fastest native method for quick, one-off conversions.

Steps

1. Select one or more HEIC files in Finder.
2. Right-click (or Control-click) and hover over Quick Actions.
3. Click Convert Image.
4. In the dialog that appears, choose JPEG as the format.
5. Select an image size: Small, Medium, Large, or Actual Size.
6. Click Convert to JPEG. The JPG files appear in the same folder as the originals.

Quick Action not showing?

If you do not see the Convert Image option:

• Check your macOS version — this feature requires macOS Monterey 12.0 or later.
• Check Finder Extensions — go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Extensions > Finder and ensure the Convert Image extension is enabled.
• Try a different file — Quick Actions may not appear for files on network drives or certain external volumes.

Method 4: Automator Batch Workflow

Automator is a macOS automation app that lets you create reusable workflows. If you regularly convert HEIC photos — for example, after every iPhone photo import — building an Automator Quick Action saves time in the long run.

Creating the Quick Action

1. Open Automator (search for it in Spotlight with Cmd + Space).
2. Click New Document, then choose Quick Action and click Choose.
3. At the top, set Workflow receives current to image files in Finder.
4. In the left panel, search for Change Type of Images and drag it to the workflow area.
5. Automator asks if you want to add a Copy Finder Items action to preserve originals. Click Add if you want to keep the HEIC files, or Don't Add to convert in place.
6. Set the image type to JPEG.
7. Go to File > Save. Name it something like Convert to JPEG.

Using the workflow

1. Select any number of HEIC files in Finder.
2. Right-click > Quick Actions > Convert to JPEG (the name you chose).
3. All selected files are converted. The JPGs appear in the same directory (or the copy destination you configured).

This workflow handles any number of files and runs entirely locally on your Mac. The downside is that, like Finder Quick Actions, Automator does not provide a JPEG quality slider — it uses the system default compression.

Method 5: Terminal sips Command

The sips (Scriptable Image Processing System) command is a powerful command-line tool built into every Mac. It is the fastest method for batch converting large numbers of files and gives you full control over output quality.

Convert a single file

Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal) and run:

sips -s format jpeg photo.heic --out photo.jpg

This converts photo.heic to photo.jpg at the default quality level.

Convert with quality control

Add the formatOptions parameter to set JPEG quality from 0 (maximum compression) to 100 (lossless):

sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions 90 photo.heic --out photo.jpg

A quality of 85–92 produces excellent results for most photos. Going above 95 increases file size substantially with minimal visual improvement.

Batch convert all HEIC files in a folder

Navigate to the folder containing your HEIC files, then run:

cd ~/Desktop/heic-photos
for i in *.heic *.HEIC; do
  sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions 90 "$i" --out "${i%.*}.jpg"
done

This loop processes every .heic and .HEIC file in the current directory, preserving the original filename but changing the extension to .jpg. On a modern Mac, sips converts roughly 50–100 images per minute depending on resolution.

Output to a separate folder

To keep your originals clean, output to a subfolder:

mkdir -p jpg-output
for i in *.heic *.HEIC; do
  sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions 90 "$i" --out "jpg-output/${i%.*}.jpg"
done

Method Comparison

Each method has trade-offs. Use this table to pick the right one for your situation:

When to Convert HEIC to JPG

Not every HEIC file needs conversion. Here is a practical framework for deciding:

You should convert when:

• Sharing with non-Apple users — Windows and Android devices may not display HEIC files without extra software. JPG works everywhere.
• Uploading to websites — most CMS platforms (WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace), social media sites, and form builders accept JPG natively. HEIC support is inconsistent.
• Sending email attachments — JPG is universally supported by every email client. HEIC may display as a generic file icon or be blocked by corporate filters.
• Submitting to print services — online photo printing, canvas prints, and yearbook submissions almost always require JPG or PNG.
• Editing in non-Apple software — some image editors, batch processing tools, and older versions of creative software do not support HEIC import.
• Archiving for long-term access — JPG has been a universal standard since 1992. HEIC adoption is growing but not yet universal.

You can keep HEIC when:

• Staying within Apple ecosystem — if you only use iPhones, iPads, and Macs, HEIC works seamlessly across all devices via iCloud.
• Storage is a priority — HEIC files are roughly 50% smaller than equivalent JPGs. On a 256 GB iPhone, that difference adds up to thousands of extra photos.
• Using Apple Photos for editing — the Photos app handles HEIC natively and preserves all metadata, Live Photo data, and depth information.

JPEG Quality Tips for Photos

When you have control over the quality setting (Preview, sips, or our online converter), here are recommended values:

For most users converting iPhone photos, a quality setting of 85–90% produces visually identical results to the original HEIC while keeping file sizes manageable. The human eye cannot distinguish between 90% and 100% JPEG quality in typical viewing conditions.

Bonus: Stop Your iPhone from Saving HEIC

If you frequently need JPG files, you can change your iPhone camera format to avoid HEIC entirely:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap Camera > Formats.
3. Select Most Compatible.

This forces the camera to save photos as JPG and videos as H.264 (instead of HEVC). The trade-off is larger file sizes — expect photos to use roughly twice the storage. If you have a large iCloud plan or regularly offload photos, this may not matter. Otherwise, converting on a per-need basis is more storage-efficient.

You can also configure automatic conversion when transferring to a Mac: go to Settings > Photos and under Transfer to Mac or PC, select Automatic. This converts HEIC to JPG during USB transfers while keeping HEIC on the phone.