How to Stop Your iPhone Saving HEIC Photos
One Camera setting makes new iPhone photos JPG. A second decides what your computer receives. Neither touches the photos you already took.
To stop your iPhone saving HEIC photos, open Settings, tap Camera, tap Formats, and choose Most Compatible. From then on the camera saves new photos as JPG. It's a settings change, not a converter: it changes what the camera writes next, not the photos already in your library. For those, convert copies with HEIC to JPG, which runs in your browser with nothing uploaded.
Before you change anything, it's worth knowing that your iPhone may already be converting for you in the places that matter. The second section covers that.
How to make your iPhone camera shoot JPG
These steps are from Apple's support page Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Camera.
- Tap Formats.
- Tap Most Compatible.
Apple's wording is that "all new photos and videos will now use JPEG or H.264 format." So the switch covers video too: new clips are saved as H.264 instead of HEVC. To go back, return to the same screen and choose High Efficiency, which Apple describes as the space-saving option. The cost of Most Compatible is storage, since JPG files are larger for the same picture. Our HEIC vs JPG comparison goes through that trade in detail.
The setting only exists on phones that can shoot HEIC in the first place. Apple lists that as iPhone 7 or later on iOS 11 or later.
Check whether your iPhone already converts for you
Plenty of people switch to Most Compatible when they didn't need to. Apple's page describes three routes, and two of them may convert HEIC for you:
- Plugging into a computer. When you import from an iPhone over USB into Photos, Image Capture, or a PC, Apple says the media "might be converted to JPEG or H.264." The switch for this is in Settings, then Apps, then Photos, near the bottom. If Keep Originals is selected, your computer gets the HEIC files as they are. Choose the other option if you want them converted.
- AirDrop, Messages, and email. If the receiving device doesn't support HEIF, Apple says the photo might be sent in a more compatible format such as JPEG.
- iCloud Photos. This one does not convert. Apple states that iCloud Photos keeps the original format, so a HEIC stays HEIC on every device signed in to your account.
Apple hedges the first two with "might", and so should you. Upload forms on websites are the case this doesn't cover, and it's a common source of "invalid file type" errors. If those are your problem, Most Compatible is the setting that fixes it at the source. Apple's own guide to transferring photos to your Mac or PC recommends the same setting for the best compatibility with Windows.
How to convert the HEIC photos you already took
Changing the camera format doesn't touch existing photos. Anything shot before the switch is still HEIC. To get JPG copies:
- Open HEIC to JPG on whatever device the HEIC files are on.
- Add one photo or a whole batch. The tool accepts
.heicand.heiffiles. - Set the JPG quality slider. It starts at 0.92 and runs from 0.4 to 1, with lower values making smaller files.
- Convert and download. Several photos come back together in one zip.
Each HEIC becomes one still JPG, decoded and re-encoded in the browser tab. Your photo isn't sent anywhere. The original stays as it was, so keep it if the photo matters: a Live Photo's motion doesn't come along, and the existing guide on why HEIC photos won't open lists what else a JPG can't carry. If you'd rather not re-compress at all, HEIC to PNG writes a lossless copy instead, at a larger size.
FAQ
Does Most Compatible convert my old photos?
No. Apple's wording covers new photos and videos only. Photos already in your library stay HEIC until you convert copies of them.
Will switching to Most Compatible use more storage?
Yes. High Efficiency is Apple's space-saving format, so the same photos take more room as JPG. If you rarely send photos off the phone, leaving it on High Efficiency and converting the odd one may suit you better.
Why do my photos arrive as JPG on my PC but HEIC through iCloud?
Two different settings. A USB import can convert to JPEG unless Keep Originals is selected under Settings, Apps, Photos. iCloud Photos always keeps the original format.
What is HEIC, anyway?
Apple's default photo format, built on the HEIF container. Our explainer on what HEIC is covers how it works and why so much software still can't open it.