Why your iPhone photos won't open elsewhere
Starting with iOS 11 in 2017, Apple changed the default photo format from JPEG to HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container). HEIC stores the same photo in roughly half the file size as JPEG with the same visual quality. That's great for your phone's storage and iCloud backups — until you try to share the photo with someone outside Apple's world.
Windows 10 and 11 can technically open HEIC, but only if the user installs Microsoft's HEIF and HEVC codec extensions from the Microsoft Store (the HEVC one costs $0.99). Older Windows machines can't open HEIC at all. Many Android phones can, but some can't. Most desktop email clients refuse to inline-preview HEIC. Most web upload forms reject HEIC entirely. Even some Windows-based services that say they accept "images" silently fail when given a HEIC.
Converting to JPG removes all of those friction points. JPG is supported by literally every device, app, and service going back 30 years.
Three ways to convert
1 · Convert on your iPhone in Safari (no app needed)
- Open unfuss.app/heic-to-jpg in Safari on your iPhone.
- Tap the drop zone — Safari opens the photo picker.
- Pick the HEIC photo. (You can also tap-and-hold a HEIC in Files and Share → choose the open Safari tab.)
- The JPG downloads to Files. Move it where you need it.
2 · Convert on your Mac after AirDrop
- AirDrop the HEIC photo from your iPhone to your Mac.
- Open unfuss.app/heic-to-jpg in any browser.
- Drag the HEIC file from your Mac onto the drop zone.
- The JPG saves to your Downloads folder. Done.
Alternative: on Mac, you can also open the HEIC in Preview → File → Export → Format: JPEG for a built-in option that doesn't need a website.
3 · Convert on a Windows PC
- Get the HEIC file onto your PC. Send the photo to yourself via email or message, or copy it from your iPhone over USB.
- Open unfuss.app/heic-to-jpg in Chrome, Edge, or Firefox.
- Drop the HEIC. The JPG saves to your Downloads folder.
This works on Windows 7, 10, and 11 without installing any codecs. The decoding happens in JavaScript inside the browser, not via Windows' built-in image handling.
What about a folder full of HEICs?
Drop them all onto the converter at once. The tool handles batches in parallel and gives you a single ZIP archive of the converted JPGs. A 50-photo batch from a wedding or vacation typically converts in 10–20 seconds.
If you have hundreds of HEICs — say a full Photo Library you're migrating off iCloud — the in-browser approach will run out of memory eventually. For that scale, use Apple's Preview app on Mac (which can batch-export selected photos), or a dedicated desktop tool. Unfuss is built for the everyday case of one photo or one batch from one event.
Frequently asked
Why does iPhone save as HEIC instead of JPG?
HEIC is roughly half the size of JPEG at the same quality. Apple switched to it in iOS 11 (2017) to fit more photos in your phone's storage and to upload to iCloud faster. The trade-off is compatibility — older devices and many non-Apple apps can't open HEIC files.
How do I stop my iPhone from saving as HEIC?
Settings → Camera → Formats → tap "Most Compatible". New photos from now on will save as JPEG. This doesn't affect existing HEIC files — you'll still need to convert those.
Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?
There's a tiny mathematical quality drop because JPEG uses lossy compression, but it's invisible on screens. The JPG will look identical to the HEIC. The trade-off is that the JPG file is larger — roughly 2× the size of the original HEIC — because JPEG is a less efficient format.
Can I convert HEIC directly on my iPhone?
Yes. Visit unfuss.app/heic-to-jpg in Safari, tap the drop zone, pick the HEIC from your photos. The conversion runs inside Mobile Safari and the JPG saves to your Files app. No App Store download required.
Will the converted JPG open on Windows?
Yes. JPEG is the most widely-supported image format in computing history. Every version of Windows, every email client, every chat app, every web service handles it. That's the whole point of converting.
Is my photo uploaded anywhere during conversion?
No. The converter is a static web page that loads JavaScript into your browser. Decoding happens locally using the libheif library. Your photo never leaves your device. Verify this by opening dev tools, switching to the Network tab, and dropping a photo — no upload requests appear.
What about Live Photos and Portrait Mode?
iPhone Live Photos are stored as a HEIC still plus a separate MOV video file. Converting the HEIC gives you the still frame as JPG; the motion is lost. Portrait Mode HEICs convert to a flat JPG — the depth-map "blur the background" effect doesn't carry over. For preserving those, share the photo via AirDrop or iCloud which keeps the full live/portrait data.