How to open and convert iPhone HEIC photos to JPG on Windows

The short answer. Windows can open HEIC photos once two Microsoft Store add-ons are installed: HEIF Image Extensions, which is free, and HEVC Video Extensions, which is paid ($0.99 in the US store). Then open the photo in Photos or Paint and save it as JPG. Without installing anything, a browser-based HEIC to JPG converter does it for twenty photos at a time.

iPhones and iPads have saved photos as HEIC since iOS 11 on the iPhone 7 and later. HEIC stores a photo in roughly half the space of a JPG at similar quality, which is why Apple uses it. The trouble starts when the photo leaves the Apple world: a Windows PC shows a blank icon, a job or exam portal says "only JPG allowed", or a WhatsApp attachment will not open on someone else's laptop.

Why Windows cannot open HEIC on its own

HEIC is a container (HEIF) holding a picture compressed with HEVC, the same codec used for 4K video. Windows needs a reader for each layer, and Microsoft splits them into two Store packages:

Package	What it does	Price
HEIF Image Extensions	reads and writes the HEIF container	free
HEVC Video Extensions	decodes the HEVC picture inside a .heic file	$0.99 in the US Microsoft Store; local price varies

Microsoft's own listing says the HEVC package "must be installed in order to view images stored in HEIF files that use the .heic, .hif or .heif file extensions". That is why installing only the free one often still shows nothing. Some PCs ship with HEVC already installed by the manufacturer.

Method 1: convert in the browser, nothing to install

1. Copy the photos to the PC: by cable into File Explorer, from iCloud Photos, or from an email or WhatsApp download.
2. Open HEIC to JPG and drop the .heic files on the page, up to 20 at a time and 50 MB each.
3. Press Convert. The first time, the browser loads a small decoder (about 1 MB) and keeps it for next time.
4. Download the JPGs one by one or all together.

The photos are decoded on your own computer and are not uploaded. Location and camera details are removed in the process, which is usually what you want before sending a photo to a portal. For screenshots or document scans that need to stay pixel-perfect, use HEIC to PNG instead.

Method 2: make Windows open HEIC, then save as JPG

1. Open the Microsoft Store and install HEIF Image Extensions.
2. Install HEVC Video Extensions (check first whether it is already listed as installed).
3. Restart File Explorer or sign out and back in. HEIC files now show thumbnails and open in Photos.
4. To convert one photo, open it in Paint, choose File → Save as → JPEG picture, and save.
5. For many photos at once, Method 1 is quicker; Paint saves one file at a time.

Method 3: stop the iPhone making HEIC

If every photo is going to a Windows PC or a portal anyway, change the iPhone so new photos are JPG:

1. Open Settings → Camera → Formats.
2. Choose Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPG and videos as H.264.

To keep HEIC on the phone but get JPGs when you copy photos by cable, open Settings → Photos and, under Transfer to Mac or PC, choose Automatic. The iPhone converts photos to JPG as they are copied. Existing photos stay as they are in either case; this changes only new photos or new transfers.

A worked example

A student needs a JPG under 50 KB for a scholarship form, and has an iPhone photo IMG_4127.HEIC of 2.1 MB.

1. HEIC to JPG produces IMG_4127.jpg of about 3.5 MB. JPGs are usually larger than the HEIC they came from at the same quality, since JPG compresses less efficiently.
2. Compress Image with a 50 KB target, after resizing to the dimensions the form asks for, brings it down.
3. If the form wants a PDF instead, HEIC to PDF makes one directly.

If it doesn't work

• Photos says it needs an extension, even after installing HEIF. HEVC Video Extensions is missing. Install it from the Store.
• The converted JPG is larger than the HEIC. That is normal: HEIC compresses about twice as well. Compress the JPG if a portal has a size limit.
• The photo is rotated in the JPG. The phone recorded which way up the picture was in the file's details. Rotate it once and save.
• A file named .heic will not convert. It may not really be HEIC, for example a renamed JPG or a Live Photo's video part (.mov). The converter says so and carries on with the rest.
• Photos copied from iCloud on the web are already JPG. iCloud.com can download as "Most Compatible", which converts on the way. Check the extension before converting.
• Colours look slightly different. Many iPhone photos use a wider colour range (Display P3) than most JPG viewers expect. The difference is small; it is not damage.

Questions people ask

How do I open HEIC files on Windows 11 for free?

Convert them to JPG in a browser-based HEIC to JPG converter, which needs nothing installed and works on Windows 10 and 11. To open HEIC directly in Photos, Windows needs the free HEIF Image Extensions and the HEVC Video Extensions, which costs $0.99 in the US Microsoft Store, unless the PC maker preinstalled it.

Why won't my iPhone photos open on my PC?

iPhones save photos as HEIC, a format Windows reads only with two Microsoft Store add-ons, HEIF Image Extensions and HEVC Video Extensions. Without both, File Explorer shows blank icons and Photos asks for an extension. Install them, convert the photos to JPG, or set the iPhone to transfer JPGs automatically when connected to a PC.

How do I make my iPhone take JPG instead of HEIC?

Open Settings, tap Camera, then Formats, and choose Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPG and new videos as H.264. Photos already on the phone stay as HEIC. Most Compatible files take roughly twice the storage, so some people keep HEIC and use Transfer to Mac or PC set to Automatic instead.

Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?

Very little at a high JPG quality setting, though the JPG is usually larger. HEIC compresses more efficiently, so matching its quality takes more bytes in JPG. For screenshots and document photos where every pixel matters, convert to PNG, which is lossless. Converting the same photo back and forth repeatedly is what loses detail, so convert once from the original.

Is it safe to convert HEIC photos online?

Only when the converter runs in your browser. Personal photos carry faces, documents and often your location, and many converter sites upload them to a server. HEIC to JPG here decodes each photo on your own device, so nothing is uploaded, and the location data is removed from the JPG it makes.

Sources

Checked 5 Oct 2026:

• Apple Support: Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices (Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible; iPhone 7 and later on iOS 11; conversion when importing to a PC)
• Microsoft Store: HEIF Image Extensions (free; "The HEVC Video Extensions package must be installed in order to view images stored in HEIF files that use the .heic, .hif or .heif file extensions")
• Microsoft Store: HEVC Video Extensions ($0.99 in the US store)