How to convert HEIC to JPG on iPhone permanantly?

Apple introduced HEIC format in iOS 11, as a new image format to save photos taken on an iPhone with better compression, without compromising the quality. In contrast with a JPG file, the photos saved in HEIC format on an iPhone are ~50% smaller in size, while still retaining the image quality. However, unlike popular formats like JPEG/JPG or PNG, HEIC (or High-Efficiency Image File Format) isn’t widely supported by other devices. Unless you use a new Apple device and apps, you might still have to convert your HEIC photo into JPEG on your iPhone to open it in other apps or devices.

This article explains how to convert HEIC to a JPG on iPhone, and stop it from taking photos in HEIC format altogether!

How to turn off HEIC on iPhone?

Luckily, iOS allows users to turn off HEIC completely on their iPhones. Here is how to stop the iPhone camera from taking photos in HEIC format;

1. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on “Camera“, and then “Formats.”
3. Select the “Most Compatible” option from the list.

Now open the camera app, click a picture and check its format. It should now be in “JPEG” format. If it’s still showing “HEIF,” try turning off “Live Photos” before you take a photo.

You can also disable the Live Photo feature permanently on your iPhone’s camera if you don’t use it often. To permanently disable Live Photo feature on your iPhone’s camera;

1. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on “Photos“, and then “Preserve Settings.”
3. Toggle on the “Live Photo” option, to prevent the Live Photo feature to turn on automatically on your iPhone’s camera app.

After this every time you take a photo from your iPhone’s camera, it will be in “JPEG/JPG” file format.

How to convert photos from HEIC to JPG on iPhone?

But what about all the existing images on your iPhone that are still in HEIC format?

You can easily convert those HEIC image files to JPG on your iPhone. Here is how to convert HEIC to JPG on iPhone using different methods;

A. Convert HEIC to JPG on iPhone using an iOS shortcut.

One of the simplest ways to convert a HEIC file to JPG is using the Shortcut app on iOS 14 or later. You can simply create a shortcut that will allow you to convert any HEIC to JPG when you need one. You don’t have to rely on a third-party app or converter for converting any file when you can do it directly on your iPhone.

Here is how to convert HEIC to JPEG on iPhone using an iOS shortcut;

1. Click here to download and install the Shortcut on your iPhone.

   

   

2. After successful installation, open your iPhone’s Gallery and select the photo (or photos) you want to convert to JPEG.
3. After selecting all the photos, tap on “Share” and select “Convert HEIC to JPEG” at the bottom of the Share Sheet.
4. The Shortcut will run in the background to automatically convert your selected photos and will prompt a menu asking asking what do you wanna do with the converted files. select the desired option from that menu as per your need and you are good to go.

“Save to Photos” will save converted files in gallery, “Copy to Clipboard” will copy those files to your iPhone’s clipboard. You can use “Share” option to share those files to other apps. And with “Preview,” you can preview converted files.

Note that, you can’t install a Shortcut on iPhone before iOS 14. However, there is a workaround for that as well, which we will discuss in the next point.

B. Convert HEIC to JPG on iPhone using the Files app on iOS 14 or lower.

Those on iPhones before iOS 14, can convert their HEIC files to JPG easily by sharing them from your Gallery to Files app. Your iPhone will automatically convert all your photos in HEIC format to JPEG upon transferring.

1. Open the “Files” app on your iPhone, then inside “On My iPhone” create a new folder and name it “JPEG” for better organization of converted files.

   

   

   

2. Now inside Photos Gallery, select all the HEIC photos that you wish to convert.
3. Then tap on the share button and select “Copy Photos” from the Share sheet.
4. Again, open the Files app, and navigate to the “JPEG” folder that we previously created.
5. Inside the “JPEG” folder, long-press in the empty area, and choose “Paste” from the popup menu to paste photos that you copied from your Gallery.

   

   

The only downside to this method is that you won’t be able to see these photos inside the Gallery app. Plus, it will take up storage on your iPhone, unless you manually delete the HEIC files.

C. Convert HEIC to JPG on iPhone using an online converter

If you don’t want to install an app for some reason, you can use any online HEIC to JPG converter like., heicjpeg.com, or convertio.co to convert your HEIC files. Unlike others, these particular HEIC to JPG online converter tools will allow you to convert multiple files effortlessly.

But keep this in mind, that most online converters will upload your photos onto their servers, and then convert them to JPEG. In case, you are susceptible to privacy, then you should vary yourself from this method, or avoid using such online converters for converting personal photos.

How to avoid HEIC while transferring Photos from an iPhone?

Needless to say, disabling HEIC will bar you from using the Live Photo feature on your iPhone camera, and limit its video recording capabilities. If all those camera features are a must-have for you, Apple has introduced an option in iOS, that automatically converts your HEIC/HEVC to JPG/H.264 when you transfer them to your Mac or PC. With this option, you can continue clicking pictures in HEIC format on your iPhone, to save storage space without compromising of iPhone’s camera capabilities.

Here is how to stop HEIC while transferring Photos from an iPhone to Mac or PC;

1. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on “Photos” and look for “TRANSFER TO MAC OR PC” at the bottom.
3. Select “Automatic” from the options.

Now every time you transfer your photos or videos to your Mac or Windows, your iPhone will automatically convert them to a compatible format. Which is in this case, JPEG for Photos and H.264 for Videos.

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