You copy photos from an iPhone to a Windows PC and get a folder of .heic files that won’t open, show as blank icons, or open only in one app. Then the upload form you need rejects them anyway. Here’s why it happens and the quickest ways to deal with it.
Why iPhone photos are HEIC
Since iOS 11 (2017), iPhones save photos in HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) when the camera’s format is set to High Efficiency, which is the default. HEIC stores the same photo at roughly half the size of a JPG, which saves a lot of space on the phone.
The trade-off is compatibility. Apple devices read HEIC natively. Windows, many Android galleries, older office software, and almost every government, exam and job portal do not.
Your options at a glance
| Option | Cost | Works offline | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Convert to JPG in the browser | Free | Yes, after the page loads | Quick fixes, uploads, a few or many photos |
| Windows HEIF/HEVC extensions | HEVC extension may be paid | Yes | Viewing on your own PC only |
| Let the iPhone convert on transfer | Free | Yes | Future transfers by cable |
| Change the iPhone camera format | Free | Yes | All future photos |
Option 1: convert to JPG in your browser
This is the fastest fix when you need the photo to work somewhere else, like an email, a form or a print shop.
- Open HEIC to JPG.
- Drop the
.heicfile onto the canvas, or tap to choose it. - Tap Repixel it ✨, then Download.
You get a real JPG at full resolution, for example 4032 × 3024 pixels, with the rotation applied, so portrait photos don’t come out sideways. The conversion runs on your own computer. The photo isn’t uploaded anywhere, so it’s fine for personal pictures and documents.
Several at once? Open Bulk resize, set Percent to 100 and Save as to JPG, then drop up to 10 HEIC files in. They’re converted two at a time and you download one ZIP with every file name kept. For more, tap Clear and do the next 10.
Need it smaller too? iPhone photos are often 2–4 MB even as JPG. For a form with a limit, Resize image to 100 KB converts and shrinks in one step, and shows the exact byte count.
Option 2: install the Windows extensions
Windows can display HEIC photos in the Photos app with two add-ons from the Microsoft Store: HEIF Image Extensions, which is free, and HEVC Video Extensions, which may cost a small amount depending on your PC. Some PCs come with them preinstalled.
This is fine if you only want to look at photos on your own computer. It doesn’t help when you need to send the file to someone else, attach it to a form, or open it in software that ignores the extensions. The file is still HEIC.
Option 3: let the iPhone convert when you transfer
On the iPhone, go to Settings → Photos and scroll to Transfer to Mac or PC. Choose Automatic. When you copy photos to a PC with a cable, the iPhone then converts them to JPG on the way.
Two catches. It only applies to cable transfers, not to photos you share through other apps or cloud services. And it only affects the copies; the photos on your phone stay HEIC.
Option 4: stop taking HEIC photos
To make all future photos JPG, go to Settings → Camera → Formats and pick Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPG. They take more space on your phone, and some newer camera features need High Efficiency, so you may prefer to keep HEIC and convert only when needed.
Common problems and fixes
“The photo is sideways after converting.” HEIC files store the rotation separately from the pixels. Some converters ignore it. Our converter applies it, so the JPG looks the same as on your phone.
“The converted photo looks blurry.” Check that you transferred the original photo, not a reduced copy. When sharing from the iPhone, choose to send the original or “actual size” instead of a smaller version. Messaging apps often shrink photos.
“It still won’t upload.” Most forms also have a size limit. Use Resize image to 100 KB, or the exam’s own page if the form names an exam. These set the size and check the bytes.
“Some files are .HEIC and some are .heif.” They’re the same family of format. The converter handles both.
“There are .mov files next to my photos.” Those are the video parts of Live Photos. You can ignore them for photo uploads.
Is converting safe for private photos?
With a browser-based converter that works on your device, yes. Nothing is sent to a server, so there’s no copy of your photo anywhere else. You can check: once the page has loaded, turn on airplane mode and the conversion still works.
Quick answer
If you just need one photo to work right now: open HEIC to JPG, drop it in, download the JPG. If you have dozens, use Bulk resize. And if HEIC keeps getting in your way, switch your iPhone to Most Compatible for future photos.