HEIC vs JPG
HEIC stores iPhone photos in about half the space of JPG with the same quality, which is why Apple uses it. The catch is compatibility: Windows, Android apps and most upload forms still expect JPG, so convert when a photo leaves your Apple devices.
High Efficiency Image Container
Choose HEIC when
- Photos stay on iPhone, iPad and Mac
- You want to fit more photos in storage
- You want depth and editing data kept with the photo
JPEG
Choose JPG when
- Sending to Windows or Android users
- Uploading to a website or form
- Printing or editing in older software
Side by side
| Property | HEIC | JPG |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | High Efficiency Image Container | JPEG |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossy |
| Transparency | No | No |
| Animation | No | No |
| Typical size | An iPhone photo is usually 1–3 MB | A 12-megapixel phone photo is usually 2–5 MB |
| Support | Mainly Apple devices | Opens everywhere |
| Opens on | IPhones, iPads and Macs; Windows needs an extra extension, Chrome can’t show it and most upload forms reject it | Every phone, computer, browser, printer and upload form |
| Best for | Storing photos on Apple devices without using much space | Photographs that need to open anywhere and stay reasonably small |
| Introduced | 2017 | 1992 |
Watch out with HEIC
AirDrop and iCloud often convert photos to JPG for you, but cables, email and “Files” copies keep HEIC, so the same photo works on one computer and not another.
Watch out with JPG
Re-saving a JPG again and again degrades it, because each save compresses the already compressed version. Keep an original and export to JPG once, at the end.
Need to switch?
Convert in your browser in a few seconds. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no size limit.
Questions
Is HEIC better than JPG?
HEIC stores iPhone photos in about half the space of JPG with the same quality, which is why Apple uses it. The catch is compatibility: Windows, Android apps and most upload forms still expect JPG, so convert when a photo leaves your Apple devices.
Which is smaller, HEIC or JPG?
HEIC is usually smaller for the same content. HEIC: An iPhone photo is usually 1–3 MB. JPG: A 12-megapixel phone photo is usually 2–5 MB.
How do I convert HEIC to JPG?
Use the free HEIC to JPG converter. It runs in your browser, so the file is never uploaded.