HEIC · Image formats
How to convert HEIC to JPG on an iPhone
iOS has no button labelled "convert", which is why this is harder to find than it should be. There are three ways to do it without installing anything. Sharing a photo by Mail or most messaging apps converts it to JPEG automatically. Copying a photo in Photos and pasting it into the Files app writes a JPEG. And the built-in Shortcuts app has a Convert Image action, which you can set up once and then run on any photo straight from the share sheet — that is the only method that gives you a JPEG on demand, in bulk, exactly where you want it saved.
The quickest one-off: send it to yourself
If you need one photo as a JPEG and you need it now, share it. Mail converts HEIC to JPEG on the way out, and so do most messaging apps, because the person on the other end may not be on an Apple device. Send the photo to your own address and the copy that arrives is a JPEG.
This is genuinely the fastest route for a single image, and it costs nothing to try. It is a poor route for twenty photos, and it does put the image through somebody elses mail server, which matters if the photo is a document rather than a holiday snap.
Pasting into Files
Open Photos, select the image, tap Share and then Copy Photo. Open the Files app, go to a folder, press and hold in the empty space, and choose Paste. What lands is a JPEG.
This works because the clipboard hands over a standard image representation rather than the original HEIC. It is quick, needs nothing installed, and works on any recent iOS. The limitation is that it goes one photo at a time and gives you no control over the filename.
The reliable way: one Shortcut, made once
Shortcuts is installed on every iPhone by default, and it has an action that does exactly this job. Open Shortcuts, create a new shortcut, and add the Convert Image action. Set the format to JPEG. Add a Save to Photos Album or Save File action after it, depending on where you want the result.
Then open the shortcut settings and turn on Show in Share Sheet, with Images as the accepted input type. From that point on, selecting any number of photos in Photos and tapping Share gives you your shortcut in the list, and running it converts the whole selection in one go.
This takes about two minutes to set up and is the closest thing iOS has to a real convert command. It runs entirely on the phone, it handles batches, and nothing is uploaded anywhere.
Stopping the problem instead of fixing it repeatedly
If you keep needing JPEGs, the setting is worth changing. Settings, then Camera, then Formats, then Most Compatible makes the camera shoot JPEG from that point on. Photos already in your library stay HEIC.
There is a better option for most people, which keeps the storage saving. Settings, then Photos, then Transfer to Mac or PC, set to Automatic. iOS then converts to JPEG as photos come off over a cable, while the library stays HEIC on the phone.
When a computer is easier
For a large batch, or for photos already sitting on a computer, doing it on a bigger screen is simply less work. The converter on this site runs inside the browser tab, so a camera roll is never uploaded anywhere, and it will take as many files as your device memory allows.
It works on the iPhone itself too, in Safari. For a handful of files that is often quicker than building a shortcut.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert HEIC to JPG on iPhone without an app?
Three ways, all built in. Share the photo by email, which converts automatically. Copy it in Photos and paste into the Files app, which writes a JPEG. Or make a Shortcut with the Convert Image action and add it to the share sheet, which is the only method that handles batches on demand.
Does converting on the iPhone reduce quality?
Slightly, because JPEG is lossy and the HEIC is being re-encoded. It is a single re-encode rather than repeated ones, so the result is visually indistinguishable for normal photographs.
Why is the JPEG bigger than the HEIC it came from?
Because HEVC compression is far more efficient than JPEG. Expect the JPEG to be roughly 1.5 to 2.5 times the size. That is the cost of compatibility, not a fault in the conversion.
Can I convert a whole album at once?
With the Shortcuts method, yes — select as many photos as you like and run the shortcut from the share sheet. The email and Files methods are effectively one photo at a time.
Will converting delete my original HEIC?
No. Every method here writes a new file and leaves the original untouched in your library.
Do I still need this if I turn off HEIC in Settings?
For new photos, no. But changing the camera format does nothing to photos already taken, so anything shot before the change stays HEIC and still needs converting when you want to share it.