How to Convert HEIC to JPG on a Mac

HEIC is the default photo format on recent iPhones and iPads. It keeps files small, but some websites, older software and Windows PCs still expect JPG. A Mac can convert these photos with built-in tools, so you usually don't need extra software. This guide covers Preview first, then faster options for several files at once.

Before you start

• A Mac that can open HEIC files. Preview supports HEIC on macOS High Sierra and later.
• The HEIC files saved in a folder in Finder. If they are only in the Photos library, export them from Photos or use the Photos method below.
• A backup of the originals, or a plan to keep them. Converting creates a new JPG, and JPG compression is lossy.
• The macOS version you are running, because the Finder Quick Action requires macOS Monterey or later.

Preview, Finder Quick Actions, Photos and the sips command are all part of macOS and process files on the Mac itself. Online converters work differently: they upload your photos to a remote server. If you choose one, read its own statements on storage and deletion and decide whether that suits your images. This matters most for personal photos that may contain location data.

The steps are the same on a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac or any other Mac. Menu labels depend on the macOS version, not on the hardware model.

Step-by-step instructions

Convert one photo in Preview

• In Finder, double-click the HEIC file. If another app opens it instead, Control-click the file and choose Open With > Preview.
• In the menu bar, choose File > Export.
• Open the Format menu and select JPEG.
• Set the Quality slider. Toward Best keeps more detail and produces a larger file. Toward Least gives a smaller file with more visible compression. The dialog shows an estimated file size as you move the slider.
• Choose a name and a destination folder, then click Save.

Export writes a separate JPG and leaves the HEIC untouched, so you can repeat the step with a different quality setting if needed. Use Export rather than Save: Save keeps the file in its current format.

Convert several photos in Preview

• In Finder, select all the HEIC files and open them together in Preview.
• If the thumbnail sidebar isn't visible, show it from the View menu.
• In the sidebar, click one thumbnail, then press Command-A to select them all.
• Choose File > Export Selected Images.
• Click Options if the format settings are hidden, choose JPEG and pick a destination folder.
• Click Choose to export all the selected images.

Use the Convert Image Quick Action in Finder

On macOS Monterey or later, Finder can convert images without opening an app. This is often the quickest way to handle a batch.

• Select one or more HEIC files in Finder.
• Control-click the selection and choose Quick Actions > Convert Image.
• Set Format to JPEG.
• Choose an Image Size. Actual Size keeps the original resolution; Small, Medium and Large reduce it.
• Decide whether to keep Preserve Metadata turned on. It keeps details such as the capture date and may also keep location data.
• Click the convert button. The new JPG files appear next to the originals.

Export from the Photos app

If the pictures are in your Photos library, select them and choose File > Export > Export Photos (the label shows how many photos are selected). Set Photo Kind to JPEG, choose a quality, and decide whether to include location information. Then click Export and pick a folder. Your library keeps the originals.

Convert a folder with Terminal

For large folders, the built-in sips tool can convert files from the command line. To convert one file, run: sips -s format jpeg photo.heic --out photo.jpg. To convert every HEIC in the current folder into a subfolder named jpg, first create the folder with mkdir jpg, then run: for f in .heic; do sips -s format jpeg "$f" --out "jpg/${f%.}.jpg"; done. Filename matching is case-sensitive in this loop, so change *.heic to *.HEIC if your files use uppercase extensions. Writing to a separate folder keeps the originals untouched.

Check the output

• Select the new file in Finder and press Command-I. Kind should read JPEG image.
• Check the extension. Preview may save files as .jpeg rather than .jpg; the format is identical, and you can rename the extension if a website requires .jpg.
• Open the JPG and compare it with the original at full size. Look for blocky artifacts or banding in skies and dark areas, especially if you chose a low quality setting.
• Compare the dimensions in the Get Info window, or in Preview under Tools > Show Inspector, to confirm the resolution wasn't reduced unless you chose that.
• Before you share the files, check whether location data was kept. In Preview, open Tools > Show Inspector and look for a GPS tab.

Some things don't carry over to JPG. A Live Photo's motion is stored separately from the still image, so the JPG contains only the still frame. JPG does not keep transparency. HDR or wide-colour detail in the original may also look different after conversion. Keep the HEIC originals if you might need any of these later.

Common problems and next steps

Convert Image is missing from Quick Actions: this action requires macOS Monterey or later. If you're on a supported version, choose Customize at the bottom of the Quick Actions submenu and check that Convert Image is enabled. On older macOS versions, use Preview or sips instead.

Only one image was exported from Preview: Export Selected Images processes only the thumbnails selected in the sidebar. Select them all with Command-A in the sidebar before you choose the command.

JPEG isn't offered, or the file won't open: confirm the file is really HEIC by checking Kind in Get Info. A file that was renamed with the wrong extension, or one that didn't finish copying from a phone or cloud drive, may fail to open. Copy it again from the source and retry.

The JPG is much larger than the HEIC: this is expected. HEIC compresses more efficiently than JPG at similar visual quality. Lower the Quality slider or reduce the image size if the file must meet an upload limit.

Avoid converting in future: on an iPhone, go to Settings > Camera > Formats and choose Most Compatible to capture new photos as JPG. This uses more storage per photo and does not change photos you've already taken. To keep HEIC on the phone but receive JPG on the Mac, check the Transfer to Mac or PC option in Settings > Photos; Automatic converts photos to a compatible format during transfer.