Is converting HEIC to JPG going to lose quality?

Both HEIC and JPG are lossy formats, so one lossy-to-lossy conversion is technically re-encoding. In practice, at a high quality setting the difference is not visible to the eye on a phone screen or in a normal print. Note that JPG files are typically larger than the HEIC they came from — that is the trade for compatibility, not a sign that something went wrong.

Do my photos get uploaded to a server?

No. The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly. Your photos are never transmitted. You can verify it in your browser's Network tab: converting a file produces no request carrying the image.

Will my portrait photos end up sideways?

No. HEIC files can carry their rotation inside the file container rather than in EXIF metadata, which is a common source of sideways output in naive converters. imglean reads that orientation information and applies it, so portrait shots stay upright.

Is there a file size or count limit?

No. Because the work happens on your device, there is nothing for us to meter. There is no per-file size cap and no monthly count.

Can I convert HEIC to WebP or AVIF instead of JPG?

Yes. WebP and AVIF are the better choices if the images are going on a website, since they are usually far smaller than JPG at the same visual quality. Choose JPG when you need maximum compatibility with older software, email clients, or print services.

Convert HEIC to JPG without uploading your photos

Q: Why won't websites accept my iPhone photos?

iPhones save photos in HEIC, a newer format that produces smaller files than JPG at the same quality. Apple adopted it years ago, but a lot of websites, upload forms, and older desktop applications were never updated to accept it. When you try to upload a HEIC file you often get a generic error like 'unsupported file type' or the upload silently fails. Converting to JPG solves it, because every platform accepts JPG.

The format your iPhone shoots in, converted to something everything accepts — in your browser, on your device. No upload, no signup, no watermark, no limit.

Convert HEIC files — free →

Runs at app.imglean.com. Your files stay on your machine.

Why your iPhone photos get rejected

iPhones have saved photos as HEIC since 2017. It is a genuinely better format — the same picture at roughly half the size of a JPG — which is why Apple switched to it.

The problem is everyone else. Web upload forms, older desktop software, email clients, print shops, and a long list of web apps were never updated to accept HEIC. When you try, you typically get a vague error like “unsupported file type”, or the upload simply does nothing and you are left guessing.

Converting to JPG sidesteps all of it. JPG is accepted everywhere, and at a reasonable quality setting the difference is invisible in normal use.

Two ways to stop dealing with HEIC

There is a setting on iPhone that changes what format the camera produces. It is worth knowing about, and worth knowing why it is not always the right answer.

Option 1 — change the camera setting on your phone. In Settings → Camera → Formats you can choose “Most Compatible” instead of “High Efficiency”. New photos will be saved as JPG and the problem disappears at the source.

Option 2 — convert the photos you already have. This is the one you usually need, because a camera roll full of HEIC files does not convert itself, and flipping the setting only changes future photos. This is what a converter is for.

One caveat worth knowing: “Most Compatible” costs you storage. HEIC files are roughly half the size of the equivalent JPG, so switching permanently means your photo library grows faster. Many people keep High Efficiency on for everyday shooting and convert only when they need to send or upload.

Will portrait photos come out sideways?

This is the most common failure of HEIC converters, and it is worth explaining because it is not random.

A photo taken in portrait orientation stores its rotation as metadata rather than physically rotating the pixels. With JPG, that rotation lives in an EXIF field. With HEIC, it can instead live inside the file container as a rotation property.

A converter that only reads EXIF will therefore miss the rotation on HEIC files and output a sideways image. It looks like a bug in the photo, but it is really the converter not looking in the right place.

imglean reads both. If the container carries a rotation it is treated as authoritative; otherwise the EXIF value is used. Portrait photos stay upright either way.

Which format should you convert to?

Target	Use it when
JPG	Maximum compatibility. Email, print shops, older software, any upload form.
WebP	Images going on a website. Typically much smaller than JPG, supported by every current browser.
AVIF	Smallest files for the web. Best compression available today, supported by all current major browsers.
PNG	You need lossless output or transparency. Expect much larger files.

If you are unsure, use JPG. If the image is destined for a website, try WebP or AVIF — often half the size again.

Check that nothing is uploaded

Any converter can claim your files stay private. This one you can verify yourself in about a minute:

Open the converter.
Press F12 and open the Network tab.
Drop in your HEIC files and let the conversion finish.
Watch the request list. Your files produce no network request.

There is a stronger guarantee than watching the list. The tool page sends:

Content-Security-Policy: connect-src 'self'

This tells your browser to block any request the page tries to make to another domain. It is enforced by the browser, not by us — so it holds even if the site had a bug.

Questions

Why won't websites accept my iPhone photos?

iPhones store photos as HEIC, which many sites and upload forms never added support for. You usually get a vague “unsupported file type” error. Converting to JPG fixes it, since JPG is accepted everywhere.

Does converting lose quality?

Both formats are lossy, so one conversion is a re-encode. At a high quality setting the difference is not visible on screen or in normal print. JPG files will be larger than the HEIC they came from — that is the cost of compatibility, not a failure.

Are my photos uploaded?

No. The conversion runs in your browser using WebAssembly. You can confirm it in the Network tab, and the page's CSP header makes uploading technically impossible.

Will portrait photos be sideways?

No. HEIC can carry rotation inside the container rather than in EXIF, which is what trips up most converters. imglean reads both and applies the right one.

Is there a limit?

No size cap and no file count. The processing happens on your device, so there is nothing to meter.

Can I convert to WebP or AVIF instead?

Yes, and for website images you probably should — both are typically much smaller than JPG. Use JPG when you need the widest possible compatibility.

Convert your HEIC photos

Nothing uploaded. Nothing installed. No account.

Open the converter →