How to Easily Convert HEIC Photos to JPG on Your Mac

Have you noticed that photos you take on your iPhone are now saved in the unfamiliar HEIC format instead of the standard JPG? While this change starting with iOS 11 has some advantages, it also makes sharing and using your photos more difficult, especially on a Mac.

But don‘t worry – in this guide, I‘ll walk you through exactly how to convert those pesky HEIC image files to JPG on macOS. You‘ll be able to open, edit and share your photos normally again in no time!

What is the HEIC Format and Why Does Apple Use It?

First, a quick primer on HEIC, which stands for "High Efficiency Image Coding". This is Apple‘s proprietary version of the HEIF (High Efficiency Image File) format.

Starting with iOS 11, Apple quietly changed the default format for photos captured with iPhone from JPG to HEIC. There are a couple reasons behind this switch:

1. HEIC enables significant compression of photos, allowing you to save about twice as many images in the same amount of storage space as JPG.
2. At the same time, HEIC maintains higher image quality than JPG, with support for 16-bit color vs JPG‘s 8-bit color. This means more vibrant and detailed photos.

So in theory, HEIC delivers space savings and better image quality – sounds great, right? The catch is compatibility.

The Problem with HEIC Compatibility

While HEIC works seamlessly on newer Apple devices, it‘s still a relatively new format that many other devices and software do not support yet – including Mac computers.

This leads to headaches when trying to open HEIC photos on your Mac or share them with other people. Your Mac‘s default image viewer (Preview) and editors like Photoshop won‘t be able to open them. If you try to upload an HEIC image to most websites or social media, you‘ll get an error.

Essentially, HEIC files are just not backward compatible with the tools we‘re used to using for photos. Until the rest of the world catches up with this new format, you‘ll probably find yourself needing to convert HEIC to the traditional JPG format frequently.

How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac: 3 Easy Methods

Fortunately, there are a few different ways to convert HEIC files to JPG on your Mac. I‘ll show you three methods, each with their own pros and cons.

Method 1: Use macOS Preview App

Your Mac‘s built-in Preview app actually has a built-in export feature that allows converting HEIC to JPG in just a few clicks. No extra tools needed!

Here‘s how to use it:

1. Open the HEIC file you want to convert in the Preview app
2. In the File menu, choose "Export…"
3. In the export window, set the Format option to "JPEG"
4. Optionally, adjust the Quality slider (higher = better quality but larger file size)
5. Click "Save" and choose a location to save the new JPG file

Pros:

• Uses your Mac‘s built-in software, no extra tools to download
• Quick process for one-off conversions

Cons:

• Have to repeat export steps for each individual photo
• Tedious for converting a large number of photos

Method 2: Use an Online HEIC to JPG Converter

Another quick and easy option is to use one of the various online tools for converting HEIC to JPG. These work entirely in your web browser without needing to install anything.

Some of the best online HEIC converters I‘ve found are:

• HEICtoJPG.com
• FreeToolOnline HEIC to JPG
• CloudConvert HEIC to JPG

To use them:

1. Go to one of the HEIC converter websites in your browser
2. Drag and drop your HEIC photos into the designated area on the page, or click to browse and select them
3. The tool will automatically convert your images and provide JPG downloads
4. Save the converted JPGs to your Mac

Pros:

• No need to download/install any software
• Most allow converting multiple photos at once (up to 50)
• Many offer additional options like resizing, compression, etc.

Cons:

• Requires uploading your photos to a website, which may be slow with many high-res photos
• Privacy concern with uploading personal photos to third-party site
• Usually limited to processing 50 images at a time

Method 3: Use the iMazing HEIC Converter App

If you‘re looking for an easy way to batch convert a large number of HEIC photos at once on your Mac, the iMazing HEIC Converter app is an excellent choice. It‘s a free, lightweight app dedicated to converting HEIC to JPG or PNG.

Here‘s how to use it:

1. Download and install the free iMazing HEIC Converter app
2. Open the app and either drag-and-drop your HEIC files/folders into the window, or click to browse and select them
3. Choose JPG (or PNG) as the output format
4. Click "Convert" and select the destination folder to save the JPGs
5. After converting, you can also adjust quality settings in the app Preferences

Pros:

• Designed to batch convert many HEIC photos at once
• Output JPGs are high quality
• Totally free, no ads or watermarks
• Can set default output folder for convenience

Cons:

• Another app to download and keep on your Mac
• Conversion can take a while for a large number of files

What‘s the Best Way to Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac?

So which HEIC to JPG conversion method should you use on your Mac? It really depends on your needs.

If you only need to convert a single HEIC image occasionally, using the Preview export method is the simplest. You can do it with just the software already on your Mac.

For converting batches of photos, an online tool like HEICtoJPG.com or CloudConvert works well and doesn‘t require downloading anything. Just beware that uploading and downloading many full-resolution photos can take a lot of time (and bandwidth).

If you‘re a photographer or someone who frequently needs to process a large number of HEIC images from your iPhone, the iMazing HEIC Converter is the best bet. It will save you a lot of time and clicks versus converting individual images.

Enjoy Using Your iPhone Photos Freely Again!

I hope this guide has shown you how quick and easy it actually is to convert those tricky HEIC photos to cooperate with your Mac. While it may be an annoying extra step, converting to JPG will let you go back to viewing, editing and sharing your images anywhere without compatibility headaches.

With these handy methods, you can enjoy the high-quality photos from your iPhone on your Mac with no compromises. Personally, I find the iMazing app the most convenient for my large iPhone photo library.

But I‘m curious to hear from you – which method are you using to convert HEIC to JPG on your Mac? Do you know of any other good tools for the job? Let me know in the comments!