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Convert HEIC to JPG on a Mac.

iPhone photos are often .heic files. Your Mac opens them fine, but some people, apps and Windows PCs don't. You can turn them into JPGs without downloading anything.

The fastest way: Convert Image in Finder

  1. Select one or more .heic photos in Finder or on your desktop.
  2. Control-click and choose Quick Actions, then Convert Image. If it’s not in the list, look under More.
  3. Choose JPEG and a size.

Apple uses this exact example: an .heic photo from your iPhone to a .jpeg or .png.

In Preview: File > Export

  1. Open the photo in Preview.
  2. Choose File > Export.
  3. Click the Format pop-up menu and choose JPEG. Use the Quality slider if you want a smaller file.
  4. Name it, pick a folder and click Save. The original stays put.

For several photos at once, open them in one Preview window, select them in the sidebar, then export.

From the Photos app

  1. Select the photos.
  2. Choose File > Export > Export [number] Photos.
  3. Set Photo Kind to JPEG. Pick a JPEG Quality and Size if you like.
  4. Click Export, choose where to save, then click Export again.

Dragging photos from Photos into Finder also works, but the Export command is the one that lets you choose the format.

Do you need to convert at all?

Often not. Apple says that when you share by AirDrop, Messages or email and the other device can’t open the newer format, the photo might be sent as a JPEG automatically. When you use the Share menu, you can also click Options and set Format to Most Compatible (see the Share menu guide). Convert first when you’re uploading to a website or sending to someone on Windows.

Stop your iPhone taking HEIC photos

On your iPhone, open Settings > Camera > Formats and tap Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPEG and new videos as H.264. Photos you already took stay as they are.

Emailing the photos next? See How to email photos from your Mac. Sending to a PC or an Android phone? See Mac to Windows and Mac to Android.

Sources: Apple Perform quick actions in the Finder on Mac, Convert image file types using Preview on Mac, Export photos, videos, slideshows, and memories on Mac and Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices, checked October 27, 2026.

Do it in a few keystrokes with Sendoff

Sendoff is a Mac app that lives in the notch. Drop the photos on it, pick the person, press Send off. It remembers whether your mom gets iMessage and your teammate gets Gmail, and it routes around what won’t work: a 48 MB video goes by iMessage instead of Gmail. You get 3 seconds to undo.

Sendoff isn’t out yet. Join the waitlist below, and tick the beta box if you want to test it first.