Why HEIC in bulk is a special case
Converting one HEIC is quick — but a whole vacation of hundreds of photos needs a batch route. And HEIC has a quirk: outside Safari, browsers can't decode it natively, because the underlying HEVC codec is patent-encumbered. So for mass conversion the operating system's built-in tools are the most reliable and privacy-friendly route — they work locally, without sending hundreds of photos to some server. Background on the format is in HEIC and HEIF explained.
On a Mac (the easiest way)
macOS opens HEIC natively, so batch export is simplest here:
- Select all HEIC files and open them in Preview.
- In the sidebar, select all (Cmd+A).
- File → Export (or "Export Selected Images") → format JPEG, choose quality and destination.
Done — hundreds of photos in one pass, no extra software.
On Windows
Windows needs the free HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store once. After that the Photos app opens HEIC, and you can save images as JPG one by one or via workarounds. For true batch conversion on Windows, extra tools are often needed — so it's often easier to make the iPhone produce the right format in the first place (see below).
Directly on the iPhone
- Copy-paste trick: select multiple photos in the Photos app, copy them, and paste into a folder in the Files app — they're often stored as JPG.
- Export when sharing: when sending to non-Apple recipients (mail, many messengers), iOS converts HEIC to JPG automatically.
The best trick: don't create HEIC in the first place
To get rid of the problem entirely, turn it off at the source: Settings → Camera → Formats → "Most Compatible". From then on the iPhone shoots JPG directly — no HEIC, no conversion, no batch hassle. The small price: JPG files are roughly twice the size of HEIC. For most people, universal compatibility is worth it.
After converting: don't forget to resize
iPhone JPGs are fairly large at 3–5 MB each. If the converted photos will be shared or uploaded, follow up with a batch resize (resize tool) and compression (compression) — both browser-local. That turns the unwieldy legacy format into handy, modern images.