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Mastering HEIC to JPG Conversion: Simple Tips for iPhone, Mac, and Beyond

December 27, 2025
Heic To Jpg Image Conversion Ios Macos Command Line Tools File Compatibility Photo Management Digital Photography Batch Processing Image File Formats
View original discussion on Hacker News

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) photos, while efficient for storage, often pose compatibility challenges when shared outside the Apple ecosystem. Many users seek simple and reliable ways to convert these images to the widely supported JPG format. Fortunately, a range of solutions exists, from simple iPhone settings to powerful command-line tools.

Effortless iPhone Settings

The easiest solutions for frequent HEIC conversion often lie directly within your iPhone's settings:

  • Capture JPGs by Default: To avoid HEIC entirely, navigate to Settings > Camera > Formats and select Most Compatible. Your iPhone will then capture all new photos as JPGs. Be aware that JPGs are approximately 40% larger than HEICs, so this will consume more storage space on your device.

  • Automatic Transfer Conversion: If you prefer the storage benefits of HEIC but need JPGs on your computer, set Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC to Automatic. Your iPhone will then convert HEIC photos to JPGs when you transfer them to a Mac or PC.

  • On-the-Fly Sharing Conversion: For single-photo conversions when sharing, use the iOS share sheet. After selecting photos, tap Options (usually at the top of the sheet) and choose Most Compatible. This will convert the selected photos to JPG (or H.264 for videos) for that specific share action.

  • Using the Files App: A less intuitive but functional method involves saving a photo to the Files app, then performing a 'Quick Action' on its thumbnail to convert it, and finally saving the JPG back to your camera roll. This workflow is generally considered cumbersome.

Seamless macOS Solutions

For Mac users, several built-in options simplify the conversion process:

  • Quick Actions: Select one or more HEIC images in Finder, right-click (or Control-click), choose Quick Actions, and then Convert Image. This allows you to select the output format (JPG) and quality.

  • Drag and Drop: Simply dragging a HEIC photo from the Apple Photos app directly into a Finder folder or another application often automatically converts it to a JPG.

  • Preview App: Open the HEIC image in the native Preview app, then use File > Export to save it as a JPG.

  • sips Command-Line Tool: macOS includes sips (scriptable image processing system), a powerful command-line utility. A simple command like sips -s format jpeg in.heic --out out.jpeg converts a single file. This can be easily scripted for batch conversions.

Powerful Command-Line and Third-Party Tools

For users across various operating systems, or those requiring batch processing and advanced control, command-line interface (CLI) tools and dedicated applications are excellent choices:

  • vips: A fast image processing library and CLI tool. Converting is as simple as vips copy src.heic dst.jpg.

  • ffmpeg: While primarily a video tool, ffmpeg can also handle image conversions: ffmpeg -i input.heic output.jpg.

  • imagemagick: A popular suite of tools for image manipulation. Use magick mogrify -format JPG *.heic for batch conversion or convert input.heic output.jpg.

  • libheif / heif-dec: On Linux distributions (like NixOS), libheif provides heif-dec (heif-dec foo.heic foo.jpg) for straightforward conversions. KDE users can even create custom Dolphin actions for right-click conversions using this tool.

  • Scripting: For recurring batch tasks, a simple Ruby script utilizing sips or a Python script using a library like Pillow can automate conversions across directories.

  • Dedicated Apps: Various third-party tools like LiveConvert (iOS app), Nomacs Image Lounge (Windows), FastStone, or professional software like Photoshop, also offer HEIC to JPG conversion capabilities.

Understanding HEIC and Compatibility Concerns

HEIC utilizes the HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) standard and H.265 compression, offering significantly smaller file sizes without sacrificing quality. However, its adoption outside of Apple's ecosystem, particularly in web browsers, is limited. This often necessitates conversion to JPG, especially when sharing with non-Apple users or uploading to services that don't yet fully support HEIC. While patent licensing for HEVC (H.265) exists, personal use for conversion is generally not considered a concern for end-users.

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