HEIC vs JPG: Which Image Format Should You Use?

If you have taken photos on an iPhone in the past few years, you've met the .heic extension — and you've probably also met the moment when a website, an old laptop, or a friend's Android phone refuses to open it. That moment is exactly why this guide exists.

What is HEIC?

HEIC is the default photo format on Apple devices since iOS 11. It's built on the HEVC (H.265) video compression standard, which is why it's so efficient: an HEIC image stores the same visual quality at roughly half the file size of a JPG.

HEIC also supports features JPG cannot, such as depth maps and Live Photo metadata. That's why Apple uses it internally — and why it causes so much friction everywhere else.

What is JPG?

JPG (or JPEG) has been the universal image format since the early 1990s. Nearly every device, app, website, and printer opens it. It uses lossy compression — it discards a little detail to save space — but at sensible quality settings the difference is invisible to the eye.

HEIC vs JPG: side by side

	HEIC	JPG
File size	~50% smaller at the same quality	Larger
Quality at the same size	Higher	Good
Compatibility	Native on Apple; Windows & Android need updates/extensions	Universal — everywhere
Editing	Great inside Apple ecosystem, limited elsewhere	Supported by every tool
Live Photos / depth data	Yes	No
Best for	Long-term Apple storage, saving space	Sharing, uploading, printing, web

When to keep HEIC

• You store everything in Apple Photos / iCloud
• Storage space matters to you
• You rarely send original files to other people
• You rely on Live Photos or depth data

When to convert HEIC to JPG

• Uploading to websites that don't accept HEIC (many e-commerce platforms, CMS, and forms)
• Sending photos to Windows or Android users, clients, or family
• Using a printing service
• Editing in older design tools
• Attaching photos to email
• Long-term backup: a JPG from 1996 still opens today; the same cannot be guaranteed for a proprietary format

How to convert HEIC to JPG for free

The quickest way is the HEIC to JPG converter on SlimImg:

1. Open the converter
2. Drag and drop one or more HEIC files — batch conversion is supported
3. Optionally adjust the quality slider (85–90 is a safe default)
4. Download each file, or Download All for the whole batch

Everything runs in your browser, so your photos never leave your device — important when you're converting private family photos.

Pro tips

• Batch first, ask later: convert the whole album at once instead of one file at a time
• Keep the originals: converting is safe, but keep the HEIC masters in iCloud in case you need Live Photos later
• Check the output size: the converter shows before/after sizes — if a file is still huge, lower the quality one notch
• Use JPG for sharing, HEIC for storage: the two formats solve different problems; use both deliberately

Common mistakes

• Converting then re-converting: converting an already-converted JPG degrades it. Convert once from the original
• Sending HEIC to Apple users anyway: even other iPhones sometimes reject HEIC outside Apple Photos — when in doubt, send JPG
• Assuming all websites accept HEIC: most upload forms still expect JPG or PNG; convert first

Frequently asked questions

Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?

Converting decodes the HEIC image to pixels, then re-encodes it as JPG with lossy compression. At quality 85–90 the difference is invisible in practice, and the file stays far smaller than the original camera output. If you need the absolute best quality later, keep the original HEIC too.

Can Windows open HEIC files?

Yes — Windows 10 and 11 can open HEIC after installing the free HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store. Without it, Windows treats the file as unreadable.

Do I lose Live Photos when converting?

Yes. Live Photo motion is dropped when you convert to JPG, so keep the original if you want to preserve the motion clip.

Is JPG or HEIC better for Instagram?

JPG. Instagram's upload pipeline converts everything anyway, and JPG files are accepted by every tool in your workflow. See our Instagram image size guide for the exact dimensions.

Which format should I keep for my photo library?

If you live inside Apple's ecosystem, HEIC is the space-efficient choice. If you ever share, print, or upload, JPG is the safe universal choice. For a broader comparison of all formats, read the image formats guide.

The bottom line

Keep HEIC for storage inside Apple's ecosystem; convert to JPG for anything that will be shared, uploaded, or printed. With the HEIC to JPG converter, the whole conversion takes seconds — and your photos never leave your browser.