How to open iPhone HEIC photos on Windows, and convert them to JPG
Windows will not open iPhone HEIC photos without a paid codec extension. Convert them to JPG with the tool below, in your browser and in batches, then change one iPhone setting so it stops happening.
Updated 2 min read
The tool this guide uses
92 keeps the photo indistinguishable from the original. Below 80 starts to show on skin and sky.
Drag files here, or
Converted to JPEG on your device. Photos are never uploaded.
Ready. Runs locally on your device.
Your files stay on your device. The tool works directly in your browser, using your device to process your files. Nothing is sent to our servers, and we never receive, store, or see your files or figures.
Why Windows will not open them
Since 2017, iPhones have saved photos as HEIC by default. It is an efficient format: about half the size of a JPEG at the same quality.
The catch is outside Apple’s world. Windows only opens HEIC with a paid codec extension from the Microsoft Store, Chrome, Firefox and Edge do not display it at all, and most upload forms reject it. So a photo copied from an iPhone to a Windows laptop often shows as a blank icon, and a photo attached to a job application or an insurance claim gets refused.
Converting them in your browser
The tool above works in any browser on Windows, with nothing to install:
- Copy the photos from the iPhone to the PC, or open this page on the iPhone itself.
- Drop the HEIC photos on the box. A whole folder at once is fine.
- Leave the output on JPG, then wait for the batch to finish.
- Download. Several photos come back as one ZIP.
The tool checks what each file actually contains rather than trusting its name, so files named .jpg that are secretly HEIC, which some gallery and messaging apps produce, convert correctly instead of failing.
Getting JPG from the iPhone in the first place
Two iPhone settings prevent the problem for new photos:
- Settings › Camera › Formats › Most Compatible. The camera saves JPG from then on, at roughly twice the storage per photo.
- Settings › Photos › Transfer to Mac or PC › Automatic. Photos copied to a computer over a cable are converted to a compatible format on the way.
If your iPhone is short of storage, keep HEIC and convert only what you need to share or upload. That is what the tool above is for.
After converting
- Too large for a form? Shrink the JPGs with the image compressor, using To a file size.
- Need a PDF? JPG to PDF takes HEIC photos directly, so there is no need to convert them first.
- Need exact dimensions? Use the image resizer.
Privacy
iPhone photos are often of the most personal things: family, home, documents. Here they are converted on your own device, and none of them is sent anywhere. You can check that with the Network tab in your browser’s developer tools.
Common questions
Why can my Mac open HEIC but my Windows PC cannot?
HEIC relies on a compression format whose licensing Microsoft, Google and Mozilla have declined to include by default. Apple includes it, so the same photo opens instantly on a Mac and an iPhone. On Windows it needs a paid codec extension from the Microsoft Store, and Chrome, Firefox and Edge will not display it at all.
Do I lose quality converting HEIC to JPG?
Very little. At the default quality of 92 the difference is invisible at any normal viewing size. What does change is the file size: a JPG of the same photo is typically about twice as large, because HEIC is a much newer and more efficient format.
Are my photos uploaded to convert them?
No. They are decoded and saved as JPG inside your browser. On browsers that cannot read HEIC themselves, the page downloads its own decoder the first time it needs one, and that is code coming to you, not your photos going anywhere.
Cite
Cite this page
Reembun. (2026, September 11). How to open iPhone HEIC photos on Windows, and convert them to JPG. https://reembun.com/guides/heic-to-jpg-on-windows
About Reembun
Reembun is a free collection of more than 100 online tools for PDFs, images, video, audio, text and everyday calculations. Every tool runs inside your browser, so your files are processed by your own device and are never uploaded to a server. There is nothing to install, no account to create, and no watermark on what you make.
You do not have to take our word for it. Open your browser’s developer tools, watch the Network tab, and use any tool: your file never appears there.
Reembun is built and run by PT RHP Cipta Digital, a registered company in Indonesia.
