Convert JPG to HEIC
This is one of those searches where most people actually want the opposite. If that sounds like you, convert HEIC to JPG instead. If you genuinely want to go from JPG to HEIC, keep reading: why it cannot be done in a browser, how to do it with the tools already on your Mac, iPhone, or Windows PC, and whether it is even worth doing.
Why this happens
Your browser cannot create HEIC files
Opening a HEIC file and creating one are very different jobs. HEIC stores its picture using HEVC, the same video technology behind 4K streaming. The part that reads an HEVC file is small and free to use, which is what lets this site turn your HEIC photos into JPG. The part that creates one is a different story: the free versions come with legal strings this site cannot accept, or are not reliable enough to run in a browser tab.
- Creating this kind of file comes with licensing restrictions that reading one does not
- Sites that offer this send your photos to their own servers to do it there
- That upload is exactly what this site is built to avoid
Opening this in a browser is easy
Creating this in a browser is not possible yet
Tools you already have, not a browser
How to convert JPG to HEIC today
Each platform that can create HEIC files does it through its own built in tools.
On a Mac
Open the image in Preview, choose File then Export, and pick HEIF from the format menu. There is a quality slider in the same dialog. For several files at once, select them all in Finder, right click, and use Quick Actions to convert images.
On iPhone or iPad
The Shortcuts app can do it with no download. Create a shortcut with the Convert Image action, set the format to HEIF, and run it on any photo from the share sheet.
On Windows
There is no built in way to create HEIC files. Windows can be taught to read them through a codec from the Microsoft Store, but writing them needs separate image software, so it is worth asking whether you need HEIC at all on a Windows machine.
The honest tradeoff
Is converting an existing JPG worth it?
HEIC files are roughly half the size of an equivalent JPG, which is the whole reason Apple adopted it. That saving is real when a photo starts life as HEIC. Converting a JPG you already have is different: the JPG has already thrown away detail permanently, so compressing it again for HEIC throws away a little more, and you end up with a smaller file that is very slightly worse, on a format fewer devices can open. Unless you are freeing up storage on an Apple device where everything already opens HEIC, keeping the JPG is usually the better decision.
Questions about JPG to HEIC
What people usually want to know before trying this.
Can I convert JPG to HEIC online for free?
Not in a browser, no. Browsers can open HEIC files easily but cannot create them, because of licensing restrictions on the compression technology inside HEIC. Sites that offer this feature upload your photos to their own servers to do the conversion there, which is exactly what this site is built to avoid.
Does converting a JPG to HEIC save space?
A little, but not as much as you might think. HEIC's real space saving comes from a camera saving the photo that way from the start. Converting a JPG that has already been compressed once means compressing it a second time, which loses a bit more quality for a comparatively small reduction in size.
Will an iPhone accept a HEIC file converted from a JPG?
Yes. iPhones open and display any valid HEIC file regardless of how it was made. It will not gain back any detail the original JPG had already thrown away, though.
Should I bother, or just keep the JPG?
For most people, keep the JPG. The size saving from converting an existing JPG is small, the quality cost is real, and JPG opens on more devices. HEIC is worth using for new photos your camera saves directly in that format, not for converting old ones.
Looking for something else?
More tools and guides for getting the most out of your photos.