What is a HEIC file, and why will it not open on Windows or upload to an online shop?
HEIC (also called HEIF) is the photo format iPhones and iPads save by default since iOS 11. It is smaller than JPG at similar quality, but some Windows and Android devices cannot open it, and the upload forms of some online marketplaces, job sites and government websites accept only JPG or PNG. Convert it to JPG first and it opens and uploads almost anywhere.
Does converting lose quality?
JPG is slightly lossy. This tool defaults to 90% quality, which normally looks the same as the original to the eye, and you can set anything from 50% to 100%. The pixel size stays the same, nothing is scaled down, and photos taken upright come out upright. Choose PNG if you want to keep every pixel, but the file will be several times larger. A JPG is usually bigger than the original HEIC because JPG compresses less efficiently.
Is my GPS location or other photo data kept?
No. The tool builds a new file from the pixels of the photo, so EXIF data such as GPS coordinates, the time taken and the camera model is not copied. The result does not reveal where your home or shop is when you post it or pass it on. The original HEIC on your device still contains that data. The colour profile is converted to sRGB so colours look the same on every screen.
Can I make my iPhone shoot JPG in the first place?
Yes. Go to Settings → Camera → Formats and choose “Most Compatible”. The camera then saves JPG instead of HEIC, though files get larger. Photos you already took stay HEIC and still need this converter.
Does it work on Android, Windows and Mac?
Yes. It runs in any recent browser such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, on any device. Safari uses the system decoder; other browsers load a HEIC decoder of about 1.4 MB only when they need it. Very high resolution photos, such as 48 megapixels, need a lot of memory. If your device is slow or reports it ran out of memory, convert a few photos at a time or use a computer.
Are my photos uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything happens inside your browser. Photo files and file names are never sent from your device to any server, and closing the tab discards what is on the page, so it is fine for personal photos, documents and customer pictures.
How many photos can I convert at once, and what are the limits?
Free converts up to 10 photos at a time; iToolers Pro raises that to 50. Each file can be up to 40 MB and about 50 megapixels, so 48-megapixel photos from recent iPhones work. Download files one by one or together as a ZIP. For a HEIC file that contains several images the main image is used, and a Live Photo gives you the still only, not the video. JPG, PNG and WebP files are also accepted and re-saved as new files without location data.