How to convert HEIC to JPG on Mac without uploading
iPhones save photos as HEIC by default. It is about half the size of JPG, but plenty of websites, Windows apps and upload forms still reject it. You don't need an online converter, which is slow and sends your photos to someone else's server. Here are four ways to do it on your Mac.
1. Finder Quick Actions (macOS 12 and later)
- Select one or more HEIC photos in Finder.
- Right-click › Quick Actions › Convert Image.
- Choose JPEG and a size, then click Convert to JPEG.
The JPGs are saved next to the originals. Built in and free, but it is a menu and a dialog every time.
2. Preview
Open the photo in Preview › File › Export… › JPEG, set the quality slider and save. Good when you want to tune quality per photo.
3. The sips command in Terminal
sips -s format jpeg photo.heic --out photo.jpg
for f in *.heic; do sips -s format jpeg "$f" --out "${f%.*}.jpg"; done
Fast for people comfortable with the command line.
4. Shift-drag with 1xQuickConvertFormat
1xQuickConvertFormat is a small menu bar app:
- Hold Shift while dragging the HEIC photo in Finder.
- A format wheel appears under the cursor; drop the photo on JPG.
- The JPG appears next to the original with its color profile kept and, by default, GPS location removed.
Everything happens on your Mac. Image conversion is part of the Free plan; batch conversion and quality or size options come with Personal.
Make the iPhone shoot JPG instead
Settings › Camera › Formats › Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPG, at roughly twice the size.
FAQ
Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality? JPG is lossy, so slightly; at quality 85 or higher the difference is hard to see.
Can I just rename .heic to .jpg? No. Renaming does not change the data inside, and many apps will refuse the file.
See also: 1xQuickConvertFormat
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