How to convert HEIC to JPG on Windows 11 without installing anything

Windows 11 can copy HEIC files from your iPhone perfectly well. It just cannot read what is inside them, because the codec they use is patented and Microsoft did not include it. The good news is that you do not need to buy anything, and you do not need to install software, to get JPGs out of them.

Here are the three routes, starting with the one that needs nothing at all.

Convert them in your browser

Because the conversion can run as code inside a web page, a browser can do the whole job without sending your photos anywhere. Open the converter, drag your HEIC files onto it, and download the JPGs. There is no account, no upload, and no limit on how many you convert.

This works on any Windows 11 machine, including a work laptop where you are not allowed to install software, because nothing is installed. It is also the only method here that works identically on a Mac, a Chromebook or a phone.

Just need to convert a file right now?Convert HEIC to JPG in your browser. Free, nothing uploaded, no account.

To check it really is local, press F12 to open developer tools, switch to the Network tab, and convert a photo. You will see the page load and then nothing else. Your photo never leaves the machine.

Buy the HEVC codec from the Microsoft Store

Search the Microsoft Store for HEVC Video Extensions. It costs a small amount, and once installed Windows itself understands HEIC, so File Explorer shows thumbnails and Photos opens the files normally.

With the codec installed you can also convert using Paint: open the HEIC, choose File then Save as, and pick JPEG.

Two things to know. The listing is paid, which surprises people who expect codecs to be free, and it fixes only the computer you install it on. If you email the original HEIC to someone else, they will hit exactly the same wall.

Use the Photos app

On recent builds of Windows 11 with the codec available, the Photos app can export a copy. Open the image, use the menu to choose Save as, and select JPG.

This is fine for one or two images. It becomes tedious quickly, because there is no straightforward way to convert a folder of two hundred holiday photos in one action.

Which should you use

| | Cost | Converts in bulk | Helps other people | |---|---|---|---| | In your browser | Free | Yes | Yes, you get shareable JPGs | | HEVC codec | Paid | Through Paint, one at a time | No | | Photos app | Needs the codec | No | Yes, but slowly |

For a folder of photos you want to keep, share or upload, converting in the browser is the fastest route and produces files everyone can open. The codec is worth buying only if you intend to keep working with HEIC files on that particular machine.

Will converting lose quality?

A little, because both HEIC and JPG are lossy formats and the image gets compressed again. At a high quality setting the difference is not visible at normal viewing sizes or in print.

What matters more is what the conversion keeps. A good converter carries the capture date, camera model, exposure settings and location into the JPG, so your photo library stays sorted and searchable. It should also apply the rotation the camera recorded, so portrait photos do not arrive on their side. Both of those are handled here.

Stopping the problem at the source

If you would rather not deal with HEIC again, open Settings on your iPhone, tap Camera, then Formats, and choose Most Compatible. Photos taken after that are saved as JPG.

The trade is storage: JPG files are roughly twice the size for the same picture. Photos already on the phone stay in HEIC, so you will still need to convert those once.