How to Stop Your iPhone from Saving Photos as HEIC

If you have ever tried to share an iPhone photo and been told the file format is not supported, you are not alone. Since 2017, every iPhone has saved photos in a format called HEIC by default. While HEIC has some advantages, it causes real headaches when you need to use your photos on a Windows PC, upload them to a website, or send them to someone who does not have an Apple device.

The good news is that you can change a single setting on your iPhone to make it save photos as JPG instead. Here is everything you need to know.

Why Does the iPhone Use HEIC?

HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container. Apple adopted it as the default photo format starting with iOS 11 because it offers one significant advantage: file size. A HEIC photo takes up roughly half the storage space of an equivalent JPG photo while maintaining the same image quality.

For Apple's ecosystem, this works well. iPhones, iPads, and Macs all handle HEIC files natively. But the rest of the world largely still runs on JPG. Windows computers, Android devices, many websites, email clients, and photo printing services expect JPG files. That mismatch is the source of the problem.

How to Change Your iPhone Camera to Save Photos as JPG

Switching from HEIC to JPG takes about 30 seconds. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap Camera.
3. Tap Formats at the top of the Camera settings screen.
4. Under the Camera Capture heading, select Most Compatible.

That is it. From now on, every photo you take will be saved as a standard JPG file. Videos will also be saved in the more widely compatible H.264 format instead of HEVC.

Set Photos to Auto-Convert When Sharing

There is a second setting worth knowing about, especially if you prefer to keep shooting in HEIC for the storage savings but still want your photos to work when you transfer them to a computer.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap Photos.
3. Scroll to the bottom and find the section labeled Transfer to Mac or PC.
4. Select Automatic.

When this is set to "Automatic," your iPhone will automatically convert HEIC photos to JPG whenever you transfer them to a computer using a USB cable or AirDrop to a non-Apple device. Your originals stay in HEIC on your phone, but the copies that arrive on your computer will be JPG.

If you set this to "Keep Originals" instead, the files will transfer in their original HEIC format without any conversion.

Trade-offs to Consider

Before you switch, it is worth understanding what you give up by choosing JPG over HEIC:

• Storage space. JPG files are roughly twice the size of HEIC files. If you take a lot of photos, this can add up. For example, if a typical HEIC photo is 2 MB, the same shot as a JPG might be 4 MB. On a 128 GB iPhone, that difference matters over time.
• Some advanced features. HEIC supports features like depth maps and multi-frame captures that certain Apple editing tools use. In practice, most people never notice a difference.

For most people, the convenience of universal compatibility outweighs the extra storage cost, especially if you frequently share photos with non-Apple users or upload them to websites and services. If storage is a concern, consider using the "Automatic" transfer setting described above so you get the best of both worlds.

Which Option Should You Pick?

If you regularly run into problems with your photos not being accepted or opened, switch to Most Compatible and forget about it. If you are comfortable with HEIC and only occasionally need JPG, keep shooting in HEIC and set the transfer option to Automatic so conversions happen on the fly when you share.

What About Photos You Already Took in HEIC?

Changing the camera format setting only affects photos you take going forward. It does not convert photos that are already on your phone. If you have existing HEIC photos that you need in JPG format, you will need to convert them.

Related HEIC Guides

• What Is a HEIC File?
• HEIC vs JPG: Which Is Better?
• Convert HEIC to PNG Free

You do not need to install any software or create an account. Just drop your HEIC files onto the converter and download the JPG versions. It works on any device with a web browser.