NotchMindiPhones save photos as HEIC, which takes about half the space of JPG at the same quality. But plenty of websites, forms and older apps still only accept JPG. You don’t need a converter website for this: your Mac can do it, without your photos ever leaving it.
1. Finder: Convert Image (quickest for a batch)
- Select one or more HEIC photos in Finder.
- Right-click and choose Quick Actions → Convert Image.
- Pick JPEG, choose a size, and select Convert to JPEG.
The JPGs appear next to the originals. This is the fastest way to convert a whole folder at once.
2. Preview: when you want to pick the quality
- Open the photo in Preview.
- Choose File → Export.
- Set Format to JPEG, drag the Quality slider, and save.
Use this when the file has to be under a size limit: lower the quality until it fits.
3. Photos: straight from your library
- Select the photos in the Photos app.
- Choose File → Export → Export Photos.
- Set Photo Kind to JPEG and export.
4. Terminal: sips, for scripts
macOS includes a command-line image tool called sips:
sips -s format jpeg photo.heic --out photo.jpgHandy if you convert photos as part of a script.
5. The notch
NotchMind, which I make, has a converter on its Home page in the notch: drag the HEIC onto it, choose JPEG, and the JPG appears next to the original. Set the quality once in its settings, 92% by default, and you don’t have to think about it again. It also does PNG, PDF, video, audio and ZIP. See how to convert HEIC to JPG with NotchMind.
Stop your iPhone making HEIC (if you’d rather)
On your iPhone, go to Settings → Camera → Formats and choose Most Compatible. New photos are then saved as JPG. They take more space, so most people are better off keeping HEIC and converting the few they need.
Why avoid converter websites?
They work, but you’re uploading your photos, with their location and time data, to someone else’s server. Every method above runs on your Mac.