Your photos never leave this device
Most online converters upload your photos to a server, convert them there and send them back. This one doesn’t. The converter, built on libheif, the open-source HEIC decoder used by many photo apps, loads into this browser tab, and your own device does the work.
Check it yourself. Open your browser’s developer tools, switch to the Network tab and convert a photo. You’ll see the converter download once and no uploads. Once it has loaded, you can turn off Wi‑Fi and keep converting.
What is a HEIC file?
HEIC is the format iPhones and iPads have used for photos by default since iOS 11. It keeps the same visual quality as JPG at a much smaller file size, which saves space on your phone.
The catch is support. Many Windows PCs, websites, online forms and older apps can’t open HEIC files, so a JPG copy is usually the quickest way to share or upload them.
JPG or PNG?
| Format | Best for | File size |
|---|---|---|
| JPG | Sharing, uploading, email, printing | Small |
| PNG | Editing without further quality loss, design work | Several times larger |
Not sure? Choose JPG. Every device and website accepts it.
Stop your iPhone from saving HEIC
- Open Settings → Camera → Formats.
- Choose Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPG from then on. Videos are recorded as H.264, which takes more space.
- For photos already on your phone, open Settings → Apps → Photos (on iOS 17 and earlier, Settings → Photos) and set Transfer to Mac or PC to Automatic. Photos copied to a computer by cable are then converted to JPG.
Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. There’s no sign-up, no watermark and no daily limit.
How many photos can I convert at once?
As many as your device can handle. Photos are converted one after another, so a big batch just takes longer. On phones and older laptops, batches of a few hundred photos at a time work best.
Will my photos lose quality?
JPG uses compression, but at the High setting the difference is very hard to see. If you need a copy with no further compression, choose PNG.
Are the date taken and location kept?
No. Converted files don’t include EXIF data such as the date taken, camera model or GPS location, which also makes them safer to share. Keep the original HEIC if you need that information.
Does it work on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android?
Yes, in any up-to-date browser. Safari can read HEIC on its own, so on Apple devices conversion is especially fast.
Can it convert Live Photos or videos?
Not yet. It converts still photos. The still image of a Live Photo is a normal HEIC file and converts fine.