macOS guide

How to convert HEIC to JPG on Mac

Six working methods for macOS — Preview, Photos, Finder Quick Actions, Shortcuts, Terminal and a browser converter — with the steps, the quality settings and the trade-offs of each.

Which method should you use?

Method 1: Preview (built into every Mac)

1. Open the HEIC image. Double-click the file. If another app opens it, Control-click the file and choose Open With → Preview.
2. Choose File → Export. In Preview, open the File menu and choose Export. In the Format menu, select JPEG. JPEG and JPG are the same format — the extension does not matter.
3. Pick a quality level and save. Move the Quality slider toward Best when image quality matters. Choose a name and location, then click Save. Keep the original HEIC file as your master copy.

To convert several photos at once in Preview: select all the HEIC files in Finder, Control-click, choose Open With → Preview, select every image in the sidebar, then choose File → Export Selected Images and set the format to JPEG.

Method 2: Photos app (for images in your library)

1. Select the photos. Open Photos, then Command-click to select one or several images.
2. Choose File → Export → Export Photos. A dialog opens with the export options.
3. Set Photo Kind to JPEG. Choose JPEG, set the quality to High or Maximum, decide whether to include the filename, location and IPTC metadata, then click Export.

Careful: Export Unmodified Original is a different command. It exports the original HEIC file, so the result will still be a HEIC — use Export Photos when you need a JPG.

Method 3: Finder Quick Actions (macOS Monterey and later)

1. Select one or more HEIC files in Finder.
2. Right-click and open Quick Actions. On a trackpad this is a two-finger click.
3. Choose Convert Image, then select JPEG and a size (Small, Medium, Large, Actual Size).

The converted copy appears in the same folder as the original. This is the quickest way to convert a handful of files without opening an application.

Method 4: Shortcuts app (repeatable and automatable)

1. Open Shortcuts and create a new shortcut.
2. Add the action "Convert Image", then set Format to JPEG and choose the quality.
3. Add "Save File" (or "Save to Photos") and turn off "Ask Where To Save" if you want it to run unattended.
4. Run it on a selection from Finder, the Share Sheet, or a Quick Action.

Shortcuts is the best option when you convert the same way every week — build it once, then right-click and run.

Method 5: Terminal with sips (built into macOS)

The sips tool converts images from the command line, which makes it ideal for large folders:

sips -s format jpeg photo.heic --out photo.jpg

Set the JPEG quality (0–100) with formatOptions:

sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions 90 photo.heic --out photo.jpg

Convert every HEIC file in a folder:

for f in *.heic; do sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions 90 "$f" --out "${f%.heic}.jpg"; done

Change into the folder first with cd, and check that the loop matched files before you delete anything. The originals are never modified — sips writes new files.

Method 6: Browser converter (no install, any Mac)

The HEIC Glide converter runs in Safari, Chrome, Edge or Firefox and processes your selected files inside the browser. It is the fastest option when you do not want to install anything, when you are on a Mac you do not own, or when you want to convert on a phone as well as a Mac. Select several files and download each JPG when it is ready.

Keeping quality: what actually happens in the conversion

• HEIC to JPEG is not lossless. JPEG uses lossy compression, so a converted file cannot be mathematically identical. The practical goal is no visible loss, which a high quality setting achieves for normal photos.
• Use the original file. Do not convert a screenshot, a file that has already been through a messaging app, or a JPG you resaved twice. Each extra export removes detail.
• Export once. Convert from HEIC to JPG a single time, then share copies of that JPG. Repeated open-and-save cycles add compression artifacts.
• Expect a larger file. HEIC stores photos more efficiently, so the JPG is often two to three times bigger at the same visual quality. That is normal.
• Watch the colour profile. iPhone photos are usually captured in Display P3. If a converter drops the colour profile, reds and skin tones can look flat or slightly different in older software. Compare a converted photo with the original before converting an important batch.

Troubleshooting on Mac

Stop new iPhone photos from being HEIC

On the iPhone: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. New photos are then saved as JPG. This does not change photos you have already taken — those stay HEIC until you convert them. More detail in why iPhone photos are HEIC.

Frequently asked questions

Other HEIC guides