How to Stop Your iPhone From Saving Photos as HEIC

Since iOS 11, iPhones save photos as HEIC and videos as HEVC to save storage. If compatibility matters more to you than space, two settings fix it.

Open the HEIC to JPG tool → Free, nothing is uploaded

Take JPG photos from now on

Open Settings → Camera → Formats.
Choose Most Compatible.

New photos are saved as JPG and new videos as H.264 MP4/MOV, which play everywhere. The trade-off: files take roughly twice as much space.

Keep HEIC on the phone, get JPG on the computer

Open Settings → Photos and under Transfer to Mac or PC choose Automatic. When you copy photos to a computer with a cable, the iPhone converts them to JPG on the fly. (Choose Keep Originals if you want the HEIC files.)

What about photos you already took?

Changing the setting does not convert existing photos. Convert them in one go with the HEIC to JPG converter, or for videos use MOV to MP4.

Frequently asked questions

Is HEIC better than JPG?

HEIC stores the same quality in about half the space and supports 10-bit color. JPG wins on compatibility: every device, website and app opens it.

Does AirDrop or email send HEIC?

Often iOS converts to JPG automatically when the receiving app or device needs it, but not always — messaging apps and web uploads may still receive HEIC.