Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac: 4 Free Methods

Why Macs use HEIC

Since 2017, Apple has defaulted iPhones and many Macs to HEIC — the High Efficiency Image Container format. It captures roughly twice the quality per megabyte of JPG, which means your photo library takes up far less space. The problem: the rest of the world still runs on JPG. Websites, older software, Windows PCs, and many online services either choke on HEIC or reject it outright.

If you’ve ever tried to attach an iPhone photo to an email or upload it to a site and hit a confusing error, HEIC is usually the culprit. Here are four reliable ways to convert HEIC to JPG on a Mac, from Apple’s built-in tools to the fastest option.

Method 1: Preview (best for one or a few files)

Preview is the quickest built-in way for individual files:

1. Double-click the HEIC file to open it in Preview (or right-click, Open With, Preview).
2. Choose File → Export (hold Option to see Export As).
3. Set Format to JPEG, choose your quality, and click Save.

For a small batch, select several HEIC files in Finder, open them all in Preview, press Command-A in the sidebar to select them, then File → Export Selected Images and pick JPEG. Each file gets saved in the format you choose.

Method 2: The Photos app (good for camera roll photos)

If your HEIC files live in the Photos library:

1. Select the photos you want to convert.
2. Choose File → Export → Export Photos.
3. Under Photo Kind, select JPEG, then export.

This method is convenient but gives you less control over quality settings and output location than Preview.

Method 3: Automator or Shortcuts (batch and repeat jobs)

If you convert HEIC files regularly, automate it:

• Automator: Create a Quick Action that receives image files, add the “Change Type of Images” action, set it to JPEG, and save it. It appears in your right-click menu in Finder forever after.
• Shortcuts: Build a shortcut with “Select File” + “Convert Image” (JPEG) + “Save File”. Run it from the menu bar whenever you need it.

Both are free and built into macOS. The setup takes a few minutes, but it pays off if you batch convert weekly.

Method 4: Formatly — the fastest private option

Built-in methods work, but they take clicks, and batch conversion through Preview gets fiddly. Formatly’s HEIC to JPG tool is the fastest way when you just want it done:

1. Open the tool and drop in your HEIC files — one file or dozens at once.
2. Conversion starts immediately, right in your browser.
3. Download your JPGs.

There is no upload step. The conversion runs 100% on your Mac using local processing, so your photos never travel to a server — private by design, and fast because there’s no queue and no waiting on a remote machine. No account, no watermark, no file-size tricks.

Which method should you use?

• One file, already on your Mac: Preview export is fine.
• Photos from your iPhone library: Export JPEG from the Photos app.
• Weekly batches: Build the Automator Quick Action once and forget it.
• Anything quick, including batches: Formatly’s HEIC to JPG converter — drop files, download JPGs, done.

If you also need to help someone on a PC, point them to our Windows HEIC guide. And if you want the full story on why converting locally beats uploading, read convert HEIC to JPG without uploading.

A tip for the future

To avoid the problem entirely, change your iPhone’s camera format: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. New photos will save as JPG. It uses more storage, but you’ll never have to convert again. Your existing HEIC library still benefits from a one-time batch conversion — which is exactly what the Automator Quick Action or Formatly is for.