Top 3 Ways to Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac

Apple iPhone aside, the HEIC format works best on Mac. You can open and view HEIC images inside or outside the Photos application without any problem. MacOS even automatically converts photos to JPG when shared with native applications such as Mail and Notes.

But there are still cases where you might want to have JPG versions of your HEIC images. This often happens when some third-party applications or web portals refuse to accept the HEIC format.

If so, here are three great methods you can use to easily convert your HEIC images to JPG.

1. Photos App – Drag and drop or export

The Photos application offers two methods for converting your HEIC images to JPG format. The first method is very simple: drag the photos to the desktop or another folder in the Finder to automatically convert them to JPG.

Point: To select multiple photos in the Photos application, simply click the appropriate thumbnails while holding down the Command (Cmd) key.

The other method is a bit complicated and involves the export of images. You may prefer this instead of dragging and dropping as this allows granular control of the file conversion process.

Once you have selected the HEIC image (s), open the File menu. Then, point to Export, and then click Export Photos.

In the dialog box that appears, specify the format of the output file (JPEG in this case). After that, select the preferred image quality, perform the other configurations of your choice, and then click Export.

You will then be prompted to select an exit location. Once you have done this, the Photos application will convert and export the images.

2. Preview App – Convert and Export

For HEIC images residing outside of the Photos application, you can use the Preview application's export function instead to convert them to JPG format.

To export a single image in JPG format, open the image in Preview, and open the File menu. Follow up by selecting the Export option.

You will be invited with a small pop-up box. Set the output format to JPEG, adjust the quality level, select the output folder, and then click Save to convert the image.

To convert multiple photos using the Preview application, first select the files while holding down the Command (Cmd) key. Then, right-click a selected photo, and then click Open to open the photos in a single preview window.

Note: If the selected photos open in separate windows, you must configure the Preview application to open them in a single window. To do this, open the Preview menu, click Preferences, click Pictures, and then click Open File Groups in the same window. Then close all the preview windows and reopen the images.

Press Command + A shortcut to select all the photos in the Preview window. Follow up by opening the File menu. Click Export Selected Images to continue.

In the Finder window that appears, specify an output location, and then click the Options button in the lower-left corner to view the export options.

Select JPEG from the drop-down menu next to Format, adjust the quality level with the help of the provided cursor, and click Choose to convert the files.

3. iMazing – Third-party converter

Besides the preview application, another easy way to convert images located outside of the Photos application is to use a third-party file conversion utility, called Imazing HEIC Converter. It's an incredibly small and user-friendly applet, and it's free, no fake notes or ads.

Download iMazing HEIC Converter

After downloading and installing the applet, simply drag and drop the HEIC files you want to convert into the iMazing HEIC Converter window. You can then specify the output format (JPEG), adjust the file size, and choose to retain or delete the EXIF ​​data after the conversion.

After that, click Convert. You must then specify an output location to save the converted images.

Keep iMazing HEIC Converter if you plan to convert HEIC files on a regular basis. This will eliminate the need to often export images with the help of the Preview application.

Good Ol 'JPG

The HEIC format brings many benefits to the table. It only requires half of the storage space compared to traditional formats (such as JPG), but it can surprisingly contain even more visual data. This should definitely be the standard photo format of the future.

But outside the Apple ecosystem, HEIC has not yet caught up. So, until this becomes the norm everywhere, it can be vital to convert a HEIC image to a widely compatible JPG format, even on a HEIC-compliant platform such as macOS. Or you can abandon the HEIC format and choose to take photos directly in JPG format itself.

Then: You can also download any HEIC image taken on an iPhone in JPG format on your Mac via iCloud.com. Find out how to do this easily.