HEIC vs JPG: What's the Difference and Which Should You Use?
Updated 9 November 2026
If you have an iPhone, most of your photos are probably HEIC files, even if you have never seen the word. They look exactly like JPGs on your phone. The difference only shows up when you send a photo to a computer, a website or another app that does not understand the format.
What HEIC is
HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container. It stores a photo compressed with HEVC, the same technology used for 4K video. Apple made it the default camera format in iOS 11 (2017) because it roughly halves the size of each photo compared with JPG at the same visible quality.
HEIC can also hold things JPG cannot: several images in one file (used for Live Photos and bursts), depth maps for Portrait mode, and 10-bit colour.
What JPG is
JPG (or JPEG) dates from 1992 and is the most widely supported image format in the world. Every phone, computer, browser, printer and photo kiosk can open it. Its compression is older and less efficient, so files are larger.
Side by side
| HEIC | JPG | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical 12 MP photo | 1.5 to 2.5 MB | 3 to 5 MB |
| Quality at that size | Excellent | Excellent |
| Opens on Windows | Only with an extra extension | Yes |
| Opens in web browsers | Safari only | All |
| Accepted by upload forms | Often not | Almost always |
| Transparency, depth, bursts | Yes | No |
Should you switch your iPhone to JPG?
Probably not. HEIC saves a lot of space, and iPhones already convert to JPG automatically in many situations, for example when you attach a photo to an email or AirDrop it to some devices.
If you regularly copy photos to a Windows PC or upload them to websites, you can change it: open Settings → Camera → Formats and choose Most Compatible. New photos will be JPG. The photos you already have will stay HEIC.
When to convert
Convert HEIC to JPG when:
- a website or form says the file type is not supported;
- you are sending photos to someone on Windows or Android;
- you want to print at a kiosk or online print shop;
- you want to edit in software that does not read HEIC.
Our HEIC to JPG converter does this in your browser, so the photos are not uploaded anywhere. If you need a lossless file for editing, use HEIC to PNG instead.