Search
ENRU
Sign in
ENRU
Sign in

How to convert HEIC to JPG on Mac

You need to convert HEIC to JPG on Mac when a website, an older app or a Windows computer won’t open iPhone photos: HEIC is the format the iPhone shoots in, and a Mac reads it without trouble. Everything needed comes with macOS: this guide covers one photo in Preview, many at once in Finder, export from Photos and making the iPhone shoot JPEG. The originals always stay.

What HEIC is

HEIC is the format an iPhone uses for photos by default. It keeps the same quality as JPEG in a smaller file. A Mac opens HEIC without trouble, but some websites, older apps and Windows computers don’t, and that’s when you need JPEG.

How to convert HEIC to JPG on Mac in Preview

  1. Double-click the HEIC photo. It opens in Preview.
  2. Choose File › Export.
Preview’s File menu with «Export» for a HEIC photo
  1. In the Format menu, choose JPEG. Move the Quality slider if you want a smaller file.
Preview’s Export window: Format JPEG and the Quality slider
  1. Type a name, choose a folder and click Save.

Preview saves a new JPEG file and leaves the HEIC original as it is.

Preview converts several photos too: open them in one window, select them all in the sidebar and follow the same steps.

Convert many photos at once in Finder

  1. Select the HEIC photos in a Finder window.
  2. Control-click one of them and choose Quick Actions › Convert Image.
The context menu of HEIC photos: Quick Actions › Convert Image
  1. Choose JPEG as the format and the size. The largest size keeps the photo’s full resolution.
  2. Click the button to convert. The JPEG copies appear next to the originals.
Finder: the JPEG copies next to the HEIC originals

Export from Photos as JPEG

  1. In Photos, select the photos you need.
  2. Choose File › Export › Export [number] Photos.
  3. In the Photo Kind menu, choose JPEG, then click Export.
  4. Choose a folder and click Export.

The photos in your library stay as they are. Only the exported copies are JPEG.

Make the iPhone shoot JPEG

  1. On the iPhone, open Settings › Camera.
  2. Tap Formats, then Most Compatible.

From then on new photos are JPEG, and they take more space on the iPhone and in iCloud. The photos you already took stay HEIC. You can also leave HEIC on: when you import photos over a cable into Photos or Image Capture, the iPhone may convert them to JPEG unless Keep Originals is chosen in Settings › Apps › Photos.

Keep your Mac tidy

MacWashing, System Junk: Xcode junk, user caches, installers and logs found, 22.83 GB ready to be cleaned

MacWashing doesn’t convert photos: Preview and Finder do it for free. If your Mac is short of space, System Junk clears app caches, logs and leftovers of deleted apps, and anything debatable stays unchecked until you decide.

Download MacWashingHow it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Questions and answers

Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?

A little, because JPEG compresses the picture differently. At high quality you won’t see the difference, but the JPEG file is usually larger than the HEIC.

How do I convert many HEIC files to JPG on Mac at once?

Select them in Finder, Control-click and choose Quick Actions › Convert Image, then JPEG. Or open them in one Preview window, select them in the sidebar and export.

Will the HEIC originals be deleted?

No. Preview, Finder and Photos all make new JPEG files. Delete the HEIC originals yourself if you no longer need them.