The fastest way to convert HEIC to JPG on Mac

Open the HEIC photo in Preview (the app already on your Mac), then go to File > Export As. Choose JPEG from the Format dropdown, pick where to save it, and click Save. That's the whole process — no extra software needed.

Preview is built into macOS and handles HEIC files without any setup. If you have multiple photos to convert, you can do them one at a time this way, or use Automator (also built in) to batch-convert an entire folder at once.

HEIC is Apple's newer photo format that takes up less storage space than JPG, but not every device or website accepts it. Converting to JPG makes your photos work everywhere — on Windows computers, older phones, email, social media, and printing services.

Key Takeaways

  • Preview can convert a single HEIC photo to JPG in three steps: open the file, go to File > Export As, choose JPEG format, and save.
  • Automator (a Mac automation tool) can convert an entire folder of HEIC photos to JPG at once without opening each one individually.
  • JPG files are smaller than HEIC and work on any device, website, or service, while HEIC only works on newer Apple devices.
  • You do not need to read any third-party software — everything you need is already on your Mac.

Converting one photo with Preview

Open Finder and locate the HEIC photo you want to convert. Right-click it and select "Open With" > "Preview". The photo opens in the Preview app.

Once the photo is open, click File in the menu bar at the top of your screen. A dropdown menu appears. Select "Export As" (not "Save" — that keeps it as HEIC). A dialog box opens asking where you want to save the file and what format you want.

In the Format dropdown, select "JPEG". You can leave the quality slider at the default setting (it balances file size and image sharpness). Type a new filename if you want, or keep the same name — Preview will add the .jpg extension automatically. Click Save, and your JPG file appears in the folder you chose.

Converting multiple photos at once with Automator

If you have ten or fifty HEIC photos to convert, doing them one by one wastes time. Automator can convert an entire folder in seconds. Open Automator (search for it in Spotlight by pressing Command + Space, typing "Automator", and pressing Enter).

When Automator opens, click "File" > "New", then select "Quick Action" and click "Create". On the left side, search for "Image" in the search box. Drag "Change Type of Images" into the workflow area on the right. Set the image type dropdown to "JPEG". Leave the quality at the default.

Save this workflow with a name like "Convert HEIC to JPG". Now open Finder, select all the HEIC photos you want to convert (Command + A selects all files in a folder), right-click them, and look for your workflow name in the "Quick Actions" menu. Click it, and Automator converts all of them at once. The JPG files appear in the same folder as the originals.

Why your Mac might be saving photos as HEIC

If you take photos with an iPhone or iPad and transfer them to your Mac, they arrive as HEIC files by default. Apple uses HEIC because it shrinks file size without losing much image quality — a photo that would be 5 MB as JPG might be 2 MB as HEIC.

The problem is that older devices, Windows computers, and many websites do not recognize HEIC. A photo sharing site might reject it, or a Windows user might not be able to open it. JPG has been the standard for 30 years, so it works everywhere.

If you want your Mac to save photos as JPG instead of HEIC from the start, you can change this in System Settings. Open System Settings > General > About, then look for the Photos section in your Mac's settings (the exact location varies by macOS version). Some Macs let you choose the default format when you import photos; others require you to convert after the fact.

When to use JPG versus keeping HEIC

Keep HEIC if you are storing photos only on Apple devices and never sharing them. HEIC files take up less space on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, which matters if storage is tight. If you back up to iCloud, Apple handles HEIC natively.

Convert to JPG if you plan to share the photo, upload it anywhere, print it, or use it on a non-Apple device. Email, Facebook, Instagram, and most printing services accept JPG without question. If someone sends you a JPG and you edit it on your Mac, keep it as JPG when you save it — converting back and forth between formats degrades quality slightly each time.

For archiving old photos you might want to access years from now on different devices, JPG is the safer choice. HEIC is still relatively new, and there is no may provide every device in the future will support it.

Other ways to convert HEIC to JPG

If Preview does not work for some reason, you have other options. The Photos app (also built into Mac) can export HEIC photos as JPG. Open Photos, select the photo, click File > Export, choose JPEG format, and save. The process is nearly identical to Preview.

Online conversion websites exist, but they require uploading your photo to a server. This is slower than using Preview and raises privacy concerns if the photo contains personal information. Stick with Preview or Photos unless you have a specific reason to use an online tool.

Some third-party apps in the Mac App Store can batch-convert HEIC files, but they cost money and do the same job as Automator, which is free and already on your computer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does converting HEIC to JPG make the photo look worse?

No noticeable difference for most uses. JPG is a "lossy" format, meaning it discards some data to shrink file size, but the loss is invisible to the human eye at normal quality settings. HEIC does the same thing. If you zoom in on a 100-percent crop of a photo, you might see tiny compression artifacts in either format, but for sharing, printing, and viewing on screens, both look identical.

Can I convert JPG back to HEIC on my Mac?

Yes, using the same Preview method: open the JPG, go to File > Export As, choose HEIC format, and save. There is no quality loss because HEIC is actually more efficient than JPG. However, most people do not need to do this — convert to JPG for sharing, and keep HEIC only if you are trying to save storage space on an Apple device.

What if Preview says it cannot open the HEIC file?

This is rare on modern Macs (macOS 10.13 and newer support HEIC), but if it happens, try opening the file with the Photos app instead. If neither app works, your Mac is very old and may need a software update. Check System Settings > General > Software Update to see if a newer macOS version is available.

Will the converted JPG file be the same size as the original HEIC?

Usually the JPG will be slightly larger because JPG is less efficient at compression than HEIC. A 2 MB HEIC photo might become 3 to 4 MB as JPG. If storage space is your concern, keep photos as HEIC on your Mac and convert to JPG only when you need to share them.

Can I batch-convert HEIC files using the Photos app?

The Photos app does not have a built-in batch export feature like Automator does. You would need to export each photo individually. For multiple photos, Automator is faster. If you only have a few photos to convert, Preview is simpler.