How to Use iMazing HEIC Converter

iMazing HEIC Converter is a free desktop utility from DigiDNA, the developer of iMazing. It turns HEIC photos from an iPhone or iPad into JPEG or PNG files on a Mac or Windows PC. This guide covers preparing your files, converting them in a batch and confirming the results before you rely on them.

Before you start

• A Mac or Windows computer. Check the system requirements on the developer's download page against your operating system version.
• The HEIC files already stored on that computer. The converter works on files you give it; it does not pull photos from the phone. Copy them over first by cable, AirDrop, a cloud folder or your usual import method.
• A backup or working copy of the originals. Keep the source HEIC files until you have checked the converted output.
• The installer from the developer's official site. Avoid third-party download mirrors, and confirm the current licence terms there, since free status and features can change between versions.

The app installs and runs on your computer rather than in a browser, so conversion is presented as local processing, not an upload to an online service. If the photos are sensitive, confirm this in the developer's current privacy information instead of assuming it from this guide.

Step-by-step instructions

• 1. Install iMazing HEIC Converter and open it. The main window is a drop area for files.
• 2. Before converting, open the app's preferences and choose your output settings: the output format (JPEG or PNG), the JPEG quality level, and whether to keep EXIF metadata. Where the preferences sit differs between the Mac and Windows editions and can change between versions.
• 3. Drag one or more HEIC files, or a whole folder of them, onto the app window.
• 4. When prompted, choose a destination folder. Pick a new, empty folder so converted copies are not mixed in with the originals.
• 5. Let the conversion finish, then open the destination folder to review the files.

Format choice matters most. JPEG gives small files that open almost anywhere, but it is lossy, so each conversion adds another round of compression. PNG is lossless and avoids that extra loss, but files are much larger and do not recover any detail beyond what the HEIC already contains. For sharing, email or uploading, JPEG at a high quality setting is the usual choice; use PNG only when a workflow specifically needs it.

The metadata option decides whether details such as capture date, camera model and, if it was recorded, GPS location are copied into the new files. Keep it on if you will import the photos into a library that sorts by date. Turn it off if you are publishing the images and do not want location data attached.

The converter writes new files instead of editing the originals, which keeps the process reversible: if the settings were wrong, delete the output folder, change the preferences and convert again from the same sources. Confirm the originals are still intact before deleting anything.

Check the output

• Compare the file count in the destination folder with the number of HEIC files you dropped in.
• Open several converted images in your normal viewer and in any app you plan to use them with, such as an editor, web form or messaging tool.
• Check the file type and pixel dimensions: on a Mac use Get Info or the inspector in Preview; on Windows use Properties and the Details tab. Dimensions should match the source photos.
• Confirm metadata behaved as intended: the capture date and location should be present if you kept EXIF data, and absent if you removed it.
• Put a converted image next to its original at full size and look for colour shifts or compression artefacts, especially in skies, skin tones and dark areas.

Some limits come from the formats themselves. A HEIC file can hold more than a single flat image, such as HDR information, depth data used for portrait effects, or a link to the short video of a Live Photo. A standard JPEG or PNG holds one still image, so those extras should not be expected in the output. Bright or wide-colour photos may also look slightly different after conversion, which is why a side-by-side comparison is worth doing before you delete originals.

Common problems and next steps

Files are not accepted or nothing happens. Check that the files really are HEIC or HEIF images and are fully stored on the computer. Photos in iCloud Drive, OneDrive or similar folders may be online-only placeholders; download them locally first, then drop them in again.

Converted files are too large. Switch the output format to JPEG if PNG was selected, or lower the JPEG quality a step, then reconvert from the originals and compare the result.

Dates or locations are wrong. If photos show up in a library sorted by the day you converted them, the metadata was probably not kept. If location appears where you did not want it, it was kept. Change the metadata option and convert again from the source HEIC files, not from the earlier output.

You would rather avoid HEIC in future. On the iPhone, Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible makes the camera save new photos as JPEG. Alternatively, Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC > Automatic lets the phone convert photos to a compatible format when they are copied to a computer over a cable. Both settings apply to new photos or transfers only, so existing HEIC files still need a converter.