You took 200 photos on your iPhone. You plugged it into a Windows laptop. Half your photos won't preview. What happened?
HEIC: Apple's default since iOS 11
Starting with iOS 11 (2017), Apple switched the default photo format from JPG to **HEIC** (High Efficiency Image Container). It uses HEVC (H.265) compression.
The good
- About 50% smaller files at the same quality
- Better for videos too
- Supports Live Photos' motion data
- Handles 16-bit color
- Stores depth data (portrait mode)
The bad
- **Windows** doesn't natively open it (needs a paid HEVC codec extension)
- **Android** support is spotty
- **Websites** rarely accept HEIC uploads
- **Older software** can't open it
- **Email clients** often reject it
- **Print services** don't accept it
Why Apple did it
Storage efficiency. Same photo quality at half the size = twice as many photos on your device.
The fix: convert HEIC → JPG
JPG is universal. Convert your HEIC photos once and open them anywhere.
### Method 1: Use our free tool
- Go to HEIC to JPG
- Drop your HEIC files
- Download JPGs
Batch-convert hundreds at once. Runs in your browser.
### Method 2: Change your iPhone settings
Settings → Camera → Formats → **Most Compatible**
New photos will be JPG. Existing HEIC files stay HEIC.
### Method 3: macOS Preview
Open HEIC file in Preview → File → Export → JPG.
What you lose converting
- File size roughly doubles
- Live Photo motion data is dropped
- Portrait mode depth data is dropped (unless you export separately)
What you keep
- Resolution (identical)
- Color depth (8-bit preserved)
- EXIF metadata (GPS, date, camera, lens)
- Quality (with 95%+ JPG quality)
Bottom line
HEIC is technically better. JPG is practically better. Convert when you need to share; keep HEIC on your iPhone.