How to Stop Your iPhone Saving Photos as HEIC (Use JPG Instead)

The short answer

On your iPhone, open Settings > Camera > Formats and tap Most Compatible. From then on the Camera saves new photos as JPEG and new videos as H.264 instead of HEIF/HEIC and HEVC. This only affects photos you take after the change; photos already in your library stay HEIC. To convert those, use the free HEIC to JPG converter, which converts a photo in your browser without uploading it.

What the two settings mean

Apple's Camera has two capture formats, explained on Apple's support page about HEIF and HEVC media:

Setting	Photos saved as	Videos saved as	Main benefit
High Efficiency	HEIF (.heic)	HEVC (H.265)	Smaller files, saves storage
Most Compatible	JPEG (.jpg)	H.264	Opens almost everywhere

The Formats option only appears on iPhones that can capture HEIF and HEVC. If you do not see it, your phone is already saving JPEG.

Step by step: switch your iPhone to JPG

Open the Settings app.

Scroll down and tap Camera.

Tap Formats.

Under Camera Capture, tap Most Compatible. A tick appears next to it.

Take a test photo, then check it: in the Photos app, open the photo and swipe up (or tap the i button). The details panel shows the file format.

To go back to smaller files later, repeat the steps and choose High Efficiency.

The trade-off: storage

HEIC exists because it stores a photo of similar visual quality in a smaller file than JPEG. Switching to Most Compatible means every new photo takes more space on your phone and in iCloud. If your iPhone is nearly full or you pay for limited iCloud storage, that matters.

A sensible middle ground for many people:

• Keep High Efficiency for everyday photos that stay on the phone or in iCloud.
• Convert only the photos you need to send, upload or attach as JPG.

If you regularly upload photos to government portals, exam forms, job sites or office systems that reject HEIC, switching to Most Compatible saves you a conversion step every time.

Transferring to a Windows PC or Mac

There is a second setting that affects what you get when you copy photos to a computer over a USB cable. Apple's support page says HEIF or HEVC media imported over USB into Photos, Image Capture or a PC may be converted to JPEG or H.264, and that to stop the conversion you choose Keep Originals in Settings > Apps > Photos (on older iOS versions the Photos settings are directly under Settings). Scroll to the section about transferring to a Mac or PC.

So:

• If you want JPG files on your computer, do not choose Keep Originals.
• If you want the original HEIC files, choose Keep Originals.

This setting does not change what is stored on the iPhone, and it does not apply to photos you share by email, messaging apps or cloud uploads.

Converting HEIC photos you already have

Changing the camera setting does nothing to existing photos. Here is how to convert them with the free HEIC to JPG converter:

Get the HEIC file onto the device you are using: AirDrop it, save it to Files, or copy it to your computer.

Open the converter and drop the file onto the upload area, or click to browse. It accepts .heic and .heif files up to 30 MB.

Wait a moment while it decodes the photo. Decoding runs in your browser, so the photo is not sent to a server.

Click Download JPG. The file keeps its original name with a .jpg extension.

The converter handles one photo at a time and saves the JPG at a fixed high quality setting. If the JPG is too large for an upload form with a size limit, run it through the compress image to KB tool next.

If the converter shows "HEIC decoding failed", the file may use a HEIC variant the decoder cannot read, or it may not be a real HEIC file. Try exporting the photo again from the Photos app, or take a screenshot of the photo as a last resort (screenshots are saved as PNG).

Other quick ways to get a JPG from an iPhone

• Share as JPG from the Photos app. Some apps and services end up with a JPEG when you share a HEIC photo, while others receive the original HEIC. It depends on the app, so check the file type at the other end before relying on it.
• Save to Files and check the format. If the file in Files still ends in .heic, convert it before uploading.
• Take the photo in a third-party camera app that saves JPEG. This is only worth it if you cannot change the system setting.

Common problems

"I switched to Most Compatible, but my upload is still rejected." The photo was probably taken before you changed the setting. Check its format in the photo details panel.

"The Formats option is missing." Your iPhone does not support HEIF capture, so it already saves JPEG. The rejection is caused by something else, such as file size or dimensions. The guide to iPhone photos rejected by upload forms covers the other causes.

"My Live Photos look different." A converted JPG is a still image. The motion part of a Live Photo is not included.

"Windows cannot open my HEIC files." Either convert them, or read what HEIC is and how to open it on Windows for the options.

Which should you choose?

• Choose Most Compatible if you often upload photos to websites and forms, send them to people on older computers, or attach them to documents.
• Keep High Efficiency if storage is tight and you mostly view photos on Apple devices, then convert the few you need.

Either way, nothing is lost: you can switch back and forth at any time, and converting a HEIC photo to JPG takes a few seconds.