3 July 2026
iPhone photos won't open? HEIC to JPG, explained
Why iPhone photos come as HEIC files that Windows and many websites reject, and how to convert them to JPG without installing anything.
Since iOS 11, iPhones save photos as HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) by default. It stores the same photo in roughly half the space of a JPEG — great for your phone's storage, terrible the moment the file leaves the Apple ecosystem. Windows needs a paid codec to preview it, older Android phones can't open it, and many upload forms and CMSs simply reject it.
The quick fix
Drop the files into HEIC to JPG. Conversion happens in your browser — nothing uploads — and works with multiple files at once. JPGs open everywhere: every OS, every browser, every form.
Stop the problem at the source (optional)
If you regularly send photos to non-Apple people, you can make your iPhone shoot JPEG directly: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. The trade-off is larger files on your phone. Alternatively, leave the setting alone — iOS already converts to JPEG automatically when you share via the Photos app — the HEIC surprise mostly happens when transferring by cable, AirDrop-to-Mac-then-USB, or cloud sync.
Two things to check after converting
- File size. HEIC's efficiency is gone after conversion; a 2MB HEIC can become a 4–6MB JPG. If it's heading to a form with a size cap, run it through Compress Image.
- Location metadata. Your camera embeds GPS coordinates, and they survive conversion. Before posting publicly, strip them with Remove Image Metadata.
Why not keep HEIC?
If everything you own is Apple and the photos never leave iCloud — no reason to convert. HEIC is the better format technically. Convert when the destination demands it: government portals, job applications, marketplaces, old office PCs. That's exactly the situation the browser converter is for — you're usually at someone else's upload form when you discover the problem.