iPhone: HEIC → JPG Without Losing Quality

6 min readiPhone

Two parts: prevent HEIC going forward, and convert existing HEICs perfectly.

Prevent HEIC for new photos

  • Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible (JPG/H.264)
  • Photos → iCloud → Optimize iPhone Storage may still store HEIC server‑side; exports are handled at share time

Convert existing HEIC at max quality

  1. Files app → long‑press photo(s) → Quick Actions → Convert Image → JPEG (keeps high quality)
  2. Share sheet → Save to Files, then use Quick Actions → Create PDF if needed
  3. On Mac: Preview → Export as JPEG (80–90% quality). On Windows: ImageMagick at q=85

Need JPGs right now?

Convert HEIC → JPG in your browser. Files are auto‑deleted after processing.