How to Open and Convert HEIC to JPG on Windows 11 (Free)

You copy photos from your iPhone to your PC and get a folder full of .HEIC files that won't open, don't show thumbnails, and get rejected by upload forms. Here's why, and how to fix it.

What is HEIC and why won't Windows open it?

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the default photo format on iPhones since iOS 11. It stores photos at roughly half the size of JPG at the same quality, using the same compression technology as H.265 video (HEVC).

That compression is patent-licensed, which is why Windows doesn't include it out of the box. Until you install the right extensions, Windows can't decode the file.

Option 1: Install the extensions to view HEIC

1. Open the Microsoft Store and install HEIF Image Extensions (free).
2. If photos still don't open, also install HEVC Video Extensions. It usually costs about $0.99; some PCs can get the free HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer instead.
3. Restart File Explorer. Thumbnails appear, and HEIC photos open in the Photos app.

This lets you view HEIC files. For sharing, uploading or older software, you'll still want JPGs.

Option 2: Convert with Paint (built in, one at a time)

Once the extensions are installed:

1. Right-click the HEIC photo → Open with → Paint.
2. File → Save as → JPEG picture.
3. Choose a name and save.

Simple and offline, but tedious for more than a few photos.

Option 3: Convert in your browser (batch, no upload)

The free HEIC to JPG converter converts many photos at once and gives you a single zip. It doesn't need the Windows extensions, and it runs locally in your browser — your photos aren't uploaded to a server, which matters for personal photos.

1. Choose JPG and a quality (90% is indistinguishable from the original).
2. Drop in your HEIC files.
3. Click Download all as .zip.

Option 4: Let your iPhone convert them for you

When copying by cable: on the iPhone, go to Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC and choose Automatic. The iPhone converts photos to JPG as they're copied to a Windows PC.

For all new photos: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. Your iPhone saves JPG from now on (files are roughly twice as large, and some features like 4K 60 fps video and ProRAW need High Efficiency).

When sharing a single photo: sending by email or AirDrop to a non-Apple device often converts automatically. Share-sheet behaviour varies by app, so don't rely on it.

HEIC vs JPG: which should you keep?

A sensible approach: keep HEIC originals in your photo library or backup, and convert copies to JPG when you need to share or upload.

Converting a whole photo library

If you've got years of iPhone photos to convert — or a mix of HEIC, AVIF, WebP and PNG — a desktop batch converter is far quicker than doing it by hand. I make BatchLens Pro for Windows: it converts HEIC/HEIF (and AVIF, WebP and more) to JPG, PNG, WebP or AVIF across whole folder trees, keeps your folder structure, and can resize, rename and strip GPS data in the same pass — offline, with a one-time price.

On Android, ShrinkForge converts and compresses photos on the phone itself (HEIC output on devices with a hardware encoder), with no internet permission at all.