How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac

Your Mac can already convert HEIC to JPG. For a few photos, the quickest built-in route is selecting them in Finder and choosing Quick Actions > Convert Image. Preview and Photos also export JPG. If you'd rather not touch macOS settings, or you're on a borrowed Mac, the free HEIC to JPG converter works in Safari, Chrome, or Firefox. Drop the files, click Convert to JPG, and download a single JPG or a ZIP.

Option 1: Toolstik HEIC to JPG in your browser

1. Open HEIC to JPG and drop .heic or .heif files onto Drop HEIC / HEIF photos. Each file can be up to 25 MB.
2. Set JPEG quality (50-100%, default 85%).
3. Click Convert to JPG. You'll see "Decoding HEIC locally…" while it works.
4. Click Download JPG for one photo, or Download ZIP for several (heic-converted.zip).

IMG_0421.HEIC becomes IMG_0421.jpg. Pixel dimensions don't change.

Getting files out of the Photos app first: drag photos from Photos to the desktop, or use File > Export > Export Unmodified Original. Either way gives you the actual HEIC files to drop into the converter.

Option 2: Finder Quick Actions (Convert Image)

Recent versions of macOS include a Convert Image action:

1. Select one or more HEIC files in Finder.
2. Right-click and choose Quick Actions > Convert Image.
3. Pick JPEG as the format, choose an image size (Small, Medium, Large, or Actual Size), and decide whether to tick Preserve Metadata.
4. Click Convert to JPEG. The new files appear next to the originals.

This is the best option for most Mac users. It's built in, handles batches, and can keep metadata.

Option 3: Preview

1. Open the HEIC file in Preview.
2. Choose File > Export.
3. Set Format to JPEG, adjust the Quality slider, and save.

For several files, open them all in one Preview window, select them in the sidebar, and use File > Export Selected Images. Preview is handy when you also want to crop or rotate first.

Option 4: Photos export

1. Select the photos in the Photos app.
2. Choose File > Export > Export [number] Photos.
3. Set Photo Kind to JPEG, choose JPEG Quality and Size, then click Export.

This works well for albums, because you don't have to find the files in Finder first. It also applies any edits you made in Photos.

Stop the problem at the source: iPhone settings

• Shoot JPG from now on: on your iPhone, go to Settings > Camera > Formats and choose Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPG (and videos as H.264), and they take more storage.
• Convert during transfer: Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC > Automatic converts photos to a compatible format when you import them over a cable.

Apple explains the trade-offs in Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices.

Worked example: vacation photos for a website

You have 40 HEIC photos at 4032×3024 and want to post 10 on a blog.

1. Convert the 10 with HEIC to JPG at 85% and download heic-converted.zip.
2. Unzip it and drop the JPGs into the Image Resizer with width 1600. Each becomes 1600×1200 (3024 × 1600 ÷ 4032 = 1200).
3. Run them through the Image Compressor at around 75-80% for the final upload.

Troubleshooting

The conversion is slow or the tab freezes. HEIC decoding is heavy work done on your Mac's processor. Older or low-memory Macs can take several seconds per photo. Convert in smaller batches of 10-20 and close other heavy tabs.

"Conversion failed." The file may be damaged or not a real HEIC (some apps rename files without converting them). Try exporting it again from Photos with Export Unmodified Original. Then try Finder's Convert Image, which uses macOS's own decoder.

A burst or multi-image HEIC only gave one JPG. The browser tool converts the first image in the file. Use Photos to export the individual frames.

The file wasn't added to the list. It's over 25 MB or doesn't have a .heic or .heif extension.

The JPG is too big to email. Run it through the Image Compressor and set a Max width (px) such as 1600.

Which method should you use?

• Finder Convert Image: the best default on your own Mac.
• Photos export: when the photos live in your library and have edits.
• Preview: when you're cropping or adjusting first.
• Toolstik: when you're on a Mac you don't control, want the same workflow on every computer, or want to chain straight into resizing and compressing.

On a Windows PC? The steps are different. See how to convert HEIC to JPG on Windows, which covers the codec extensions and why HEIC files sometimes won't open there.

Privacy

The Toolstik converter decodes HEIC with the heic2any library inside your browser. Photos aren't uploaded. To choose between JPG and newer formats, read JPG vs PNG vs WebP vs AVIF, or browse all free image tools.