Are my photos uploaded to a server?

No. The file is read with the FileReader API, decoded by your browser's own image decoder, redrawn on a canvas, and re-encoded locally. You can load this page, turn off your Wi-Fi, and convert files perfectly well. That is the main difference from iLoveIMG, FreeConvert, CloudConvert and similar sites, which upload your photo to their servers and keep it for a stated retention period.

Why does it say my browser cannot decode HEIC?

HEIC stores its pixels as an HEVC (H.265) keyframe, and HEVC is patent-encumbered. Apple pays for the licence, so Safari on macOS and iOS decodes HEIC natively. Chrome and Firefox on Windows and Linux ship without a system HEVC still-image decoder and refuse the format outright. If the tool reports no decoder, open the same page in Safari — or change the phone instead: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible makes the iPhone save JPG from then on.

What is the 'preview only' label on a converted file?

When the full frame cannot be decoded, the tool falls back to a JPEG that the HEIC container already carries inside it — either a real jpeg item or the thumbnail in the EXIF block. That image is genuine, but it is small: Apple's embedded thumbnail is typically around 320 x 240, not the 4032 x 3024 of the original. It is a usable last resort, not a real conversion, which is why the label is there.

Does converting to JPG lose quality?

Some, unavoidably. HEIC is already lossy, so you are re-encoding a lossy image — a second generation. At quality 90 the difference is invisible on a photo at normal viewing size; the loss shows up in flat gradients like a clear sky, where you may see faint banding. Choose PNG if the file is going into further editing, and JPG if it is going to a person or a web form.

Why is the JPG bigger than the HEIC it came from?

Usually two to four times bigger, and that is expected. HEIC's compression is a generation ahead of JPEG's: the same photo at the same visual quality is roughly half the size. A 2 MB HEIC becoming a 5 MB JPG is not a bug, it is the format difference. Lowering the quality slider to around 80 or switching to WebP gets most of that back.

What happens to the EXIF data, GPS location, and Live Photo?

All of it is dropped. A canvas holds pixels and nothing else, so camera model, exposure settings, capture date, and GPS coordinates do not survive the round trip — convenient if you are posting the photo publicly, annoying if you were sorting by capture date. The video half of a Live Photo lives in a separate .mov file on the phone and is not in the .heic at all, so nothing is lost there either.

Why does the info panel say my photo is a grid of tiles?

Because iPhones store a photo as a mosaic rather than one big frame — typically 512 x 512 tiles in a grid, eight columns by six rows for a 12 MP shot, stitched back together on display. It keeps decoding fast and parallel on the phone. It also means the real dimensions are written in the grid box of the container, not in a single image header, which is why some older desktop tools report an iPhone HEIC as 512 x 512.

Can I convert HEIC files that contain a burst or multiple frames?

The tool converts the primary image — the frame the container marks as the one to display. A .heics sequence or a burst holds several coded frames; the info panel shows how many it found, but only the primary one is exported. For the others you currently need Apple Photos or an ffmpeg-based tool.

Is there a file size or count limit?

No hard limit, but your device's memory is the real ceiling. Files are processed one at a time and each decoded frame is released before the next starts, so a few dozen 12 MP photos are fine on a normal laptop. Frames above roughly 16.7 megapixels get scaled down before drawing, because Safari on iOS silently returns a blank canvas above that size instead of raising an error.

HEIC to JPG Converter — Free, No Upload Needed

Drop your HEIC photos here or click to choose

.heic · .heif · .hif — several files at once, nothing is uploaded

Drop your .heic files in, pick JPG, PNG, or WebP, and download them one by one or as a zip. The conversion runs on your own machine using the browser's image decoder, so nothing is uploaded — which matters, because HEIC files from a phone carry GPS coordinates and the conversion strips them. The tool also reads the HEIC container itself and tells you what is actually in the file: real pixel size, tile layout, bit depth, whether there is a depth map.

How it works

1
Drop in your HEIC files Drag the photos onto the drop zone or click to open the file picker. Select as many as you like — the tool processes them one after another and keeps each one's original filename.
2
Choose the output format and quality JPG is the safe choice for sharing and uploads. PNG keeps transparency and loses nothing, at a much larger file size. WebP lands roughly 25-30% smaller than JPG at the same visual quality. For JPG and WebP, the quality slider controls the trade-off; 90% is a good default and 100% mostly just adds bytes.
3
Download one file or the whole batch Each row gets its own Download link. With two or more files converted, the Download all as ZIP button bundles everything into one archive. Click the info icon on a row to see what the HEIC container held before conversion.

Your data stays private

All processing happens entirely in your browser. No files, text, or data are ever sent to our servers. You can disconnect from the internet and this tool will still work.

Frequently asked questions

Are my photos uploaded to a server?: No. The file is read with the FileReader API, decoded by your browser's own image decoder, redrawn on a canvas, and re-encoded locally. You can load this page, turn off your Wi-Fi, and convert files perfectly well. That is the main difference from iLoveIMG, FreeConvert, CloudConvert and similar sites, which upload your photo to their servers and keep it for a stated retention period.
Why does it say my browser cannot decode HEIC?: HEIC stores its pixels as an HEVC (H.265) keyframe, and HEVC is patent-encumbered. Apple pays for the licence, so Safari on macOS and iOS decodes HEIC natively. Chrome and Firefox on Windows and Linux ship without a system HEVC still-image decoder and refuse the format outright. If the tool reports no decoder, open the same page in Safari — or change the phone instead: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible makes the iPhone save JPG from then on.
What is the 'preview only' label on a converted file?: When the full frame cannot be decoded, the tool falls back to a JPEG that the HEIC container already carries inside it — either a real jpeg item or the thumbnail in the EXIF block. That image is genuine, but it is small: Apple's embedded thumbnail is typically around 320 x 240, not the 4032 x 3024 of the original. It is a usable last resort, not a real conversion, which is why the label is there.
Does converting to JPG lose quality?: Some, unavoidably. HEIC is already lossy, so you are re-encoding a lossy image — a second generation. At quality 90 the difference is invisible on a photo at normal viewing size; the loss shows up in flat gradients like a clear sky, where you may see faint banding. Choose PNG if the file is going into further editing, and JPG if it is going to a person or a web form.
Why is the JPG bigger than the HEIC it came from?: Usually two to four times bigger, and that is expected. HEIC's compression is a generation ahead of JPEG's: the same photo at the same visual quality is roughly half the size. A 2 MB HEIC becoming a 5 MB JPG is not a bug, it is the format difference. Lowering the quality slider to around 80 or switching to WebP gets most of that back.
What happens to the EXIF data, GPS location, and Live Photo?: All of it is dropped. A canvas holds pixels and nothing else, so camera model, exposure settings, capture date, and GPS coordinates do not survive the round trip — convenient if you are posting the photo publicly, annoying if you were sorting by capture date. The video half of a Live Photo lives in a separate .mov file on the phone and is not in the .heic at all, so nothing is lost there either.
Why does the info panel say my photo is a grid of tiles?: Because iPhones store a photo as a mosaic rather than one big frame — typically 512 x 512 tiles in a grid, eight columns by six rows for a 12 MP shot, stitched back together on display. It keeps decoding fast and parallel on the phone. It also means the real dimensions are written in the grid box of the container, not in a single image header, which is why some older desktop tools report an iPhone HEIC as 512 x 512.
Can I convert HEIC files that contain a burst or multiple frames?: The tool converts the primary image — the frame the container marks as the one to display. A .heics sequence or a burst holds several coded frames; the info panel shows how many it found, but only the primary one is exported. For the others you currently need Apple Photos or an ffmpeg-based tool.
Is there a file size or count limit?: No hard limit, but your device's memory is the real ceiling. Files are processed one at a time and each decoded frame is released before the next starts, so a few dozen 12 MP photos are fine on a normal laptop. Frames above roughly 16.7 megapixels get scaled down before drawing, because Safari on iOS silently returns a blank canvas above that size instead of raising an error.

From the blog

Why iPhone Photos Are HEIC and How to Open Them What is actually inside a .heic file, why Windows and Chrome refuse to open it, and how to convert a batch to JPG without uploading anything. Read the post →

HEIC to JPG Converter — Free, No Upload Needed

What is inside the file

How it works

Your data stays private

Frequently asked questions

From the blog

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