Photos taken with iPhone and iPad cameras make use of the HEIC file format, which is a high-efficiency image format for storing images. The key advantage of this format is largely reduced file size, which means you end up saving a lot of storage space. However, this comes at the cost of compatibility. Thus, some users may want to convert HEIC files to JPG, and this may be extra valid in the Windows world.
JPEG/JPG is the most popular file format used for images, and its widely incorporated across all photo viewers and image editors. Since HEIC is a much newer format in comparison, you may run into compatibility issues when you switch to non-Apple devices like your Windows computer. Although Microsoft added native support for HEIC files with the October 2018 Windows 10 update, some people are still facing issues viewing these files, and perhaps you’d want to share an HEIC file online with maximum compatibility. In such situations, you may want to convert these HEIC files to JPG, so let’s take a look at how to do this on a Windows PC.
How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Windows, Without Any Software
If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t really want to install any additional software for converting HEIC files, you can make use of the following steps:
- Open any web browser on your computer and head over to heictojpg.com. It’s an online tool developed by JPEGmini. Click on the green “+” icon to open the file explorer on your computer.
- Now, select the HEIC file that you want to convert and click on “Open”.
- You’ll need to wait a few seconds for the conversion process to complete, but once it’s done, tap on “Download JPEG” located right next to the file name to save the converted file.
That’s it. The only caveat is that you can only convert up to 5 photos at a time.
How to Quick Convert HEIC to JPG on Windows using Third Party Tools
If you don’t mind installing additional software, but you want the fastest way to convert a HEIC file to JPG, you’ll be interested in trying out CopyTrans HEIC. Let’s take a look at what you need to do:
- First, launch your web browser and visit this link to download CopyTrans HEIC for Windows. Click on “Download”.
- Now, run the downloaded EXE file to begin the installation. During the installation process, make sure you select “I am installing CopyTrans HEIC for home use” as shown below since the software is only free for personal use.
- Once installed, open file explorer and locate the HEIC file. Now, right-click on it and choose “Convert to JPEG with CopyTrans” from the context menu.
- The converted JPEG file will show up in the same directory, as shown below.
As you can see, this is without a doubt the fastest way to convert HEIC files stored on your system, especially if the Windows Photos app isn’t opening the files natively.
If you occasionally transfer photos from your iPhone or iPad to your Windows PC, you can avoid having to manually convert your photos every time by making use of an iOS setting for Photos. Simply go to Settings -> Photos on your iOS/iPadOS device, scroll down to the very bottom, and select “Automatic”. This will make sure all the photos are transferred in a compatible JPG format rather than HEIC.
Alternatively, you can force your iPhone and iPad to capture photos using the JPEG format, especially if you don’t mind the increased file size or if you have plenty of storage space. To do this, go to Settings -> Camera -> Formats and select “Most Compatible” instead of High Efficiency. Note that this setting not only affects photos, but also changes the video capture format to H.264 for certain resolutions.
If you use a Mac as well, you’ll be pleased to know that you can natively view HEIC image files and convert them to JPG files using the macOS Preview app. There’s absolutely no need to install any additional software on your Mac.
What do you think of working with HEIC files in Windows, and do you convert them to JPG? We covered a few options here, but others are out there too, so do you have another preferred approach to managing HEIC files in Windows? Let us know your opinions and experiences in the comments.
