How to Convert HEIC to JPG on a Mac
A Mac opens HEIC photos with nothing installed, and it has three built-in ways to turn one into a JPG. Here is which to use, with Apple's steps for each.
To convert HEIC to JPG on a Mac, open the photo in Preview, choose File > Export, pick JPEG from the Format pop-up menu, and click Save. Nothing needs installing first. Apple's support article Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices says support for HEIF, the format behind the .heic ending, is built into macOS High Sierra 10.13 and later.
Preview is one of three built-in routes. Finder can convert a file without opening it, and the Photos app exports JPG copies from your library. A fourth route, HEIC to JPG, runs in the browser. The menu steps below follow Apple's user guides, which showed macOS 27 as the current version when we read them on 13 October 2026.
How to convert HEIC to JPG in Preview
Preview is the route for a HEIC file sitting in Finder, such as a download or an AirDropped photo. These steps are from Apple's Preview User Guide page Convert image file types using Preview on Mac.
- Open the HEIC file in Preview.
- Choose File > Export.
- Click the Format pop-up menu and choose JPEG.
- Adjust the quality if you want to. Apple notes that when you choose JPEG, "you can adjust the image's quality."
- Type a new name or choose where to save the file, then click Save.
Preview can do several photos in one go. Apple's tip on the same page is to open the files in one window, select them in that window's sidebar, and then follow the same steps.
How to convert a HEIC file from Finder without opening it
Finder has a quick action that converts an image where it sits. Apple's Mac User Guide page Perform quick actions in the Finder on Mac describes it and uses this exact job as its example: "you can convert an .heic photo from your iPhone to a .jpeg or .png image."
- Select the file in a Finder window or on your desktop.
- Control-click it and choose Quick Actions.
- Click More, then choose Convert Image.
- Choose a format and a size.
Apple adds that the tasks in the Quick Actions menu depend on the file type and on which Finder extensions are enabled. If Convert Image is missing, the Customize item under More opens the Extensions settings.
How to export a JPG from the Photos app
If the picture is in your Photos library and not in a folder, export a copy. These steps follow Apple's Photos User Guide page Export photos, videos, slideshows, and memories on Mac.
- Open Photos and select the photos you want.
- Choose File > Export > Export [number] Photos.
- Click the Photo Kind pop-up menu and choose JPEG. Apple describes it as the choice that "creates small files suitable for use with websites and other photo apps."
- Click the button beside the Photo Kind pop-up menu if you want to set the JPEG Quality or Size options.
- Click Export, choose where to save the files, then click Export again.
One item in the same menu does the opposite of what you want. File > Export > Export Unmodified Original saves each photo in the format it was imported in, so a photo that arrived as HEIC leaves as HEIC.
Which Mac route should you use?
Pick by where the photo lives. All three built-in routes end in a JPG. They differ in where they start.
| Where the photo is | Route | What you choose |
|---|---|---|
| A file in Finder, and you want the fewest clicks | Quick Actions > Convert Image | A format and a size |
| A file in Finder, and you want to set quality or rename it | Preview, File > Export | Format, quality, name and location |
| Your Photos library | Photos, File > Export | Photo Kind, JPEG Quality, Size, file naming |
| A folder of files you want back as one download | HEIC to JPG in the browser | A JPG quality value |
How to convert HEIC to JPG on a Mac in your browser
To convert HEIC to JPG in a browser, open HEIC to JPG, add the files, and download the JPGs. On a Mac you don't need it, because the built-in routes above do the job. It earns its place when you want a batch back as a single zip, a quality setting you can read as a number, or one set of steps that is the same on someone else's computer.
- Open HEIC to JPG in your browser.
- Add your
.heicor.heiffiles. A batch can hold 50 files, and each file can be up to 50MB. - Leave the JPG quality at its default of 0.92, or move it anywhere from 0.4 to 1. A lower number gives a smaller file.
- Convert and download. A single photo arrives as a JPG, and a batch of two or more arrives as one zip.
Each JPG keeps its file name with a new ending, so IMG_1234.heic becomes IMG_1234.jpg. The photos are decoded in the browser tab and are not uploaded. The page does need a connection to load its decoder. If the person you're helping is on a PC, the same page works there, and our guide to converting HEIC to JPG on Windows covers what Microsoft's two HEIC extensions do and what they leave undone.
Why do some iPhone photos reach a Mac as JPG already?
Some iPhone photos reach a Mac as JPG because they can be converted on the way, when they are shared or imported. Apple's wording is "might" both times. The HEIF article says that when you share this media by AirDrop, Messages or email and the receiving device doesn't support the newer formats, it "might automatically be shared in a more compatible format, such as JPEG or H.264." It also says that photos imported from an attached iPhone or iPad into Photos or Image Capture "might be converted to JPEG or H.264."
So the same photo can reach your Mac as HEIC one day and JPG the next, depending on how it travelled. The iPhone settings behind that are covered in our guide to stopping your iPhone saving HEIC.
FAQ
Can a Mac open HEIC files without extra software?
Yes, on macOS High Sierra 10.13 or later. Apple says support for the format is built in from that version on. Our explainer on what HEIC is covers the format itself.
Can I convert several HEIC files at once on a Mac?
Yes. In Preview, open them in one window, select them in the sidebar and export. In Photos, select several before choosing File > Export. HEIC to JPG takes up to 50 files at a time and returns them in one zip.
Will the JPG look worse than the HEIC?
JPG is a lossy format, so the copy is re-compressed and is not identical to the original. At high quality settings the change is hard to see in ordinary viewing. Keep the HEIC if the photo matters, and see HEIC vs JPG for what the two formats trade.
What if I don't want a second round of lossy compression?
Export a PNG instead. Preview and the Convert Image quick action both offer it, and so does HEIC to PNG. Expect a much larger file: in our test a 701KB HEIC photo became a 454KB JPG at the default quality and a 2.2MB PNG.
The JPG still won't upload. Why?
The format is fixed, so the usual causes are file size or pixel dimensions. The general guide on why HEIC photos won't open goes through both, and how to resize an image on a Mac covers the dimensions side with Preview.