iPhones shoot in HEIC by default. It's a good format, honestly. Smaller files, better quality. Apple did this one right.

Then you try to open the photo on a Windows PC. Or upload it to a website. Or send it to your dad. And suddenly that good format is a locked door.

Why Apple picked a format nobody else uses

HEIC stores photos in about half the space of JPG. For a phone that's always running out of storage, that's a real win. The photos look great. On Apple devices, everything just works.

Off Apple devices, support is thin. Windows 10 and 11 can open HEIC, but only after you install a codec from the Microsoft Store (and one of them costs a dollar, which is absurd). Most websites and desktop programs don't bother.

The settings fix, if you want it

Your iPhone can shoot JPGs instead. Go to Settings, Camera, Formats, and pick "Most Compatible." New photos come out as JPG from then on.

I don't recommend this for most people. HEIC is better, and storage is precious. Keep shooting HEIC. Convert when you need to share.

When conversion is the answer

Converting makes sense in exactly these situations: uploading to a website that rejects HEIC, emailing photos to someone on a PC, printing at a shop with old software, or archiving photos where you want maximum compatibility.

Convert the copies, keep the HEIC originals. The original is your negative. The JPG is the print you hand out.

Practical tip: iPhones already convert automatically in some cases. When you share via AirDrop to a Mac, or attach to an email from the Photos app, iOS often sends a JPG without telling you. The manual conversion is for the times it doesn't, like dragging files off via USB.

The fast route

Drop your HEIC files into Jiggle X Wiggle's free converter and grab the JPGs. No account, no software to install, done in seconds.

Apple's format is fine. The rest of the world's support for it is the problem. One conversion bridges the gap.