How to Convert HEIC to JPEG on Windows (No Codec Pack)

If you've ever AirDropped or emailed an iPhone photo to a Windows PC, you've probably seen the HEIC problem: a file Windows refuses to open with a normal image viewer, no thumbnail in the file browser, no way to email the image as an attachment without converting it first. Apple's been shipping HEIC as the default photo format on iOS since 2017, and Microsoft still hasn't made support frictionless on Windows.

Three options, in order of how much you want to mess with your computer.

Option 1 — Convert in your browser (fastest, no install)

Convert HEIC to JPEG on Dropvert handles this without installing anything. Drop the HEIC, get a JPEG. Works on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, anywhere with a modern browser. The conversion runs locally — your photo doesn't get uploaded.

For batch conversion, you can drop up to 20 HEIC files at once. The output is JPEG by default; you can also pick PNG (lossless) or WebP (smaller file).

Option 2 — Install Microsoft's HEIF Image Extension

Microsoft sells the codec for $0.99 in the Microsoft Store. Once installed, Windows Photo Viewer and File Explorer can preview HEIC thumbnails and open the files directly.

This is the right choice if you regularly receive HEIC files and want them to behave like JPEG (visible in File Explorer, openable from email attachments). The catch: it's not free, and you'll occasionally hit edge cases where some app still doesn't recognize the codec.

Option 3 — Tell your iPhone to stop saving as HEIC

If you don't need HEIC's smaller file sizes (and most people don't), switch your iPhone to save as JPEG by default:

1. Settings → Camera → Formats
2. Tap Most Compatible

Going forward, every new photo is saved as JPEG. Existing HEIC photos in your library are unaffected — they stay as HEIC. For those, use Option 1 or 2.

Why does HEIC exist in the first place?

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is a container for HEVC-encoded images. Apple chose it specifically because HEIC files are roughly half the size of JPEG files at the same visual quality. A 4 MB JPEG photo becomes a ~2 MB HEIC.

The problem is HEVC has patent royalties that Microsoft and Google didn't want to pay across the entire OS. So Windows ships without the codec by default; Microsoft Edge / Chrome / Firefox can't decode HEIC inline either. The result: a format that's technically better than JPEG but ships into an ecosystem that often can't read it.

Common questions

Will I lose quality converting HEIC to JPEG? Yes, slightly. HEIC is more efficient than JPEG at the same quality, so converting from one lossy format to another is always a small loss. For typical phone photos, the loss is usually invisible — but if you're going to keep editing the file, work from the HEIC original.

Does the conversion preserve EXIF data (date, location)? Yes for Dropvert's converter. The EXIF tags from the HEIC source carry through to the JPEG output. If you want to strip metadata before sharing, run the JPEG through Metadata Eraser afterward.

Can I batch-convert a folder of HEIC files? Compress Image handles bulk drops of up to 20 HEIC files at once. Drop the folder, pick JPEG as the output, get a zip back. For folders larger than 20 files, run the conversion in batches.

What if my HEIC has a Live Photo (HEIF + MOV)? Live Photos are stored as a paired HEIC photo and a short MOV video. Dropvert's conversion only handles the still image — the MOV component would need to be converted separately via video to GIF or similar.

When to keep HEIC

If you're staying in the Apple ecosystem (sharing iPhone to iPhone, syncing through iCloud, editing in Photos.app), HEIC is the better format. Smaller files, same quality. Convert to JPEG only when you need to share with someone outside the Apple ecosystem.