How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac — 4 Easy Ways

Av OpenMyHEIC:s redaktion · Senast uppdaterad: 19 juli 2026

How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac

While macOS natively supports HEIC files, you may need to convert them to JPG for sharing with Windows users, uploading to websites, or compatibility with certain applications. Here are four easy methods.

Method 1: Use OpenMyHEIC.com (Quickest)

The fastest method that works on any Mac with a web browser.

Steps:

• Open Safari (or any browser) and go to OpenMyHEIC.com
• Drag and drop your HEIC file onto the converter
• Adjust quality if needed (92% default is great)
• Click "Convert" — conversion takes seconds
• Click "Download" to save the JPG

Advantages: No software needed, files stay private on your Mac, works instantly.

Method 2: Use Preview (Built-in)

Preview is macOS's built-in image viewer and can export HEIC to JPG.

Steps:

• Right-click the HEIC file → Open With → Preview
• Click File in the menu bar
• Select Export...
• In the Format dropdown, choose JPEG
• Adjust the Quality slider
• Click Save

For Multiple Files:

• Select all HEIC files in Finder
• Right-click → Open With → Preview
• In Preview, press Cmd+A to select all images in the sidebar
• Click File → Export Selected Images...
• Choose format and destination

Method 3: Use Automator (Batch Processing)

Automator lets you create a reusable workflow for batch conversion.

Steps:

• Open Automator (search in Spotlight)
• Choose Quick Action as the document type
• Set "Workflow receives current" to image files in Finder
• Drag "Change Type of Images" action from the library
• Select JPEG as the output type
• Save the workflow with a name like "Convert to JPG"
• Now you can right-click any HEIC file → Quick Actions → Convert to JPG

Method 4: Use Terminal (Advanced)

For power users, the Terminal offers quick conversion using the built-in sips command.

Convert a Single File:

sips -s format jpeg input.heic --out output.jpg

Convert All HEIC Files in a Folder:

for file in *.heic; do sips -s format jpeg "$file" --out "${file%.heic}.jpg"; done

Comparison of Methods

Tips for Mac Users

• AirDrop Settings: When receiving photos via AirDrop, you can set your iPhone to send as "Most Compatible" (JPEG) instead of HEIC
• iCloud Photos: If using iCloud, photos may download as HEIC. Use any method above to convert them
• Quality Preservation: For maximum quality, use PNG format instead of JPG. Our converter also supports HEIC to PNG conversion.

Ready to convert? Try our free HEIC converter — it works instantly in your browser with complete privacy.

Batch Converting in Preview

Preview handles more than one file at a time, which is the part most guides leave out. Select every HEIC file in Finder, open them together in Preview, then select all the thumbnails in the sidebar. Under File choose Export Selected Images, pick JPEG, and set one destination folder. Preview converts the whole selection in one pass and keeps the original filenames.

The Terminal Method in Detail

macOS ships with sips (Scriptable Image Processing System), so no installation is needed. To convert a single file, change to the folder and run sips with the format set to jpeg and an output filename. To convert an entire folder, use a simple shell loop over every .heic file, writing each one out as .jpg.

Two things worth knowing. sips writes into the current folder unless you tell it otherwise, so run it on a copy the first time. And it converts silently — no progress bar — which on a folder of several hundred photos looks like it has hung when it has not.

Why Everything Looks Fine on Your Mac and Broken Everywhere Else

macOS has decoded HEIC natively since High Sierra, so Preview, Finder and Photos all behave normally. The problem appears the moment the file leaves your Mac: a Windows PC, an Android phone, a web upload form or a print shop sees a format it does not recognise.

This catches people out because there is no warning. The photo looks perfect locally, and only the recipient discovers it will not open. If you are sending photos to someone outside the Apple ecosystem, convert first.

Troubleshooting

The exported JPG is much larger than the HEIC. That is expected. HEIC compresses roughly twice as efficiently, so the same picture at the same visible quality takes about double the space as a JPG. Lowering the quality slider closes most of the gap.

Colours look duller after converting. iPhone photos are frequently captured in Display P3. Exporting to JPG usually converts to sRGB, which has a smaller gamut, and saturated reds and greens are where you notice it. For work that has to keep the wider gamut, export to PNG or keep the original.

A Live Photo only converted the still image. A Live Photo is a still plus a short video. Any HEIC to JPG conversion keeps the still and drops the motion — to keep the movement you need to export it as a video instead.

AirDropped photos arrive as HEIC. In the AirDrop share sheet, tap Options and set Photo Transfer to Most Compatible. The photos are then converted to JPG as they are sent.

Stopping Your iPhone From Making HEIC Files

If the photos are coming from your own iPhone, you can stop the conversion work entirely. Open Settings, then Camera, then Formats, and choose Most Compatible. From that point new photos are captured as JPG.

Two caveats: it does not change any photo you have already taken, and JPG files take up more space on the phone. Many people leave the iPhone on High Efficiency and simply convert the handful of photos they need to share.