HEIC and JPG are both ways to store a camera still. They are not interchangeable in software, even when they look the same on an iPhone screen. This page is the practical difference, not a codec paper.
Containers and codecs
JPG (JPEG) is a 1990s still-image format: a start-of-image marker, optional EXIF, then lossy DCT blocks. Almost every OS, browser, printer, and CMS speaks it. HEIC is a HEIF container (ISO base media, related to MP4) with an HEVC-coded image. Apple picked it as the iPhone default because HEVC typically beats JPEG on size at a given quality. The file can also hold depth, a gain map, or a Live Photo video track. JPG cannot.
That extra structure is why a Windows box from 2018 shrugs. It is looking for JPEG magic bytes (FF D8 FF). A HEIC starts like an MP4: an ftyp box with brands such as heic or mif1.
Size and quality
For a typical iPhone shot, HEIC is often around half the bytes of the JPEG you would get from “Most Compatible.” Visual quality is close on a phone display. If you convert HEIC → JPG, you do not get those bytes back as extra detail. You pay a second lossy encode. Default quality 0.92 on this site is meant to keep the JPEG looking like the HEIC for email and forms, at the cost of a larger JPG than Apple’s own high-efficiency original.
If you need a lossless still from a HEIC, use PNG on the converter. The file will be much larger. That is expected: you unpacked HEVC into a lossless bitmap format.
Compatibility
HEIC wins on Apple devices and recent iCloud. JPG wins everywhere else: Gmail on Windows, Word on a school PC, government PDFs that only embed JPEG, cheap photo kiosks. Browsers are mixed; Safari is fine, others may not display a raw HEIC dropped into an <img>. Websites should not rely on HEIC for public images.
See also HEIC vs JPEG (same comparison with the four-letter name) and What is HEIF? for the container. Convert on the HEIC to JPG tool when the destination is the problem, not when you want a “better” photo — JPEG is not better; it is more portable.
Metadata and Live Photos
Both can carry EXIF. This converter strips EXIF and GPS unless you check Keep camera metadata, because a canvas encode does not copy tags by default. Live Photos: HEIC still + video. JPG is the still. Do not expect motion in the download.
When to keep HEIC
Keep it as the original in Photos. Convert copies, not the library. If you re-encode to JPG and delete the HEIC, later edits start from a lossy file you cannot un-bake. Storage is cheap compared to a vacation you cannot re-shoot.
Thumbnails, progressive JPEG, and the web
A HEIC can store a dedicated thumbnail item. JPEG usually relies on the decoder to subsample. That is why a HEIC can feel instant in Photos and a huge JPEG can feel slow in a cheap viewer. Progressive JPEG (interlaced scans) is a JPEG feature HEIC does not use; this converter’s canvas encoder writes a baseline JPEG, which is what forms expect.
Do not publish HEIC as the only source on a public website. Safari visitors will see it; a large share of Windows Chrome users will not. Serve JPEG or WebP (or AVIF) from your CDN. Convert with this tool when you are handing a file to a human, not when you are designing a responsive <picture> element — that is a different job.
Burst photos: each frame is its own HEIC. Convert the ones you will send. There is no reason to JPEG an entire burst you will never open again.
Last reviewed 2026-09-13.