You plug in the iPhone, copy a folder to the PC, open it, and — surprise — everything is HEIC.
That is normal for modern iPhones. High Efficiency format saves space. Apple likes it. Windows… tolerates it at best.
This post is the checklist I send people when they message me “my photos won't open.”
How the files usually land on your PC
USB cable + File Explorer
Fast and reliable. Windows copies whatever the phone has. If the camera uses HEIC, you get HEIC.
iCloud for Windows
Syncs a Photos folder. Still HEIC unless you changed iPhone settings.
AirDrop to Mac, then a USB stick
Still HEIC on the stick unless someone converted along the way.
WhatsApp / Telegram to yourself
Often crushes quality and may still wrap things oddly. I do not rely on this for prints.
None of these paths automatically gives you JPG. You have to convert heic to jpg (or change the iPhone setting before shooting).
Why not just rename .heic to .jpg?
Please do not.
Renaming does not change the bytes inside the file. You end up with a JPG extension on HEIC data. Apps get confused. Some “open” with glitches, others crash.
Real conversion re-encodes the image into JPEG bitstream.
Fast path: online HEIC to JPG converter
When I do not want to install software on a relative's laptop:
- Open Edge or Chrome.
- Go to a converter site — ours is here.
- Select all HEIC files (you can do dozens at once if the tool allows).
- Output format: JPG, quality around 80–85%.
- Download ZIP or individual files.
On a mid-range laptop, a few hundred vacation photos might take a few minutes. Go make tea.
Privacy note: pick a tool that says conversion runs in the browser. Family photos should not need to sit on a stranger's server.
Slower but fine: desktop apps
CopyTrans, iMazing, XnConvert, IrfanView with plugins — all work offline. Good when you have no internet or huge archives.
Online is quicker when you are helping someone remotely over a video call (“open this link, drag the folder”).
Change iPhone for next time?
Settings → Camera → Formats
- High Efficiency = HEIC (smaller)
- Most Compatible = JPEG (bigger, universal)
I keep High Efficiency on personal trips and convert when sharing. If you mostly shoot for a Windows-heavy office, Most Compatible saves hassle.
HEIC to JPEG vs HEIC to JPG
Search engines treat these the same. JPEG and JPG are the same format. Pick JPG output when a tool asks.
If conversion fails on one file
Usually means:
- The file is corrupted from a bad copy
- It is not actually HEIC (wrong extension)
- It is a Live Photo container something odd
Try opening it on the iPhone still? If yes, re-export or screenshot as a last resort. If no, the file was already bad.
Once you have JPGs on disk, treat them like any other photo folder — backup, rename, upload, whatever you planned.
Need a starting point? Free HEIC to JPG converter — no account, runs in the browser.