Explainer · 5 min read
HEIC is the smarter format. JPG is the one that works everywhere. Here's a fair comparison and a simple rule for picking between them.
Updated
If you're here because a HEIC won't open, the answer is almost always "convert it to JPG". Drop the file into the converter on this page, keep the default quality, and download the JPG. It's done locally in your browser, so the photo never leaves your device. The rest of this page explains when HEIC is worth keeping.
Try it right here: HEIC → JPG
Open full tool →Drop HEIC photos here
HEIC, HEIF · also JPG, PNG, WebP
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Most people should keep HEIC on their phone and convert to JPG at the point of sharing.
| HEIC | JPG | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical size, 12 MP photo | Roughly half of the JPG | Larger, often 2–4 MB at good quality |
| Quality at equal size | Better: fewer blocks and smears | Visible artefacts appear sooner |
| Colour depth | 8-bit, 10-bit or more | 8-bit only |
| Wide colour (Display P3) | Yes | Yes, with an embedded profile |
| Transparency | Supported | Not supported |
| Multiple images per file | Yes (grids, depth maps, bursts) | No |
| Compression | HEVC (H.265) | JPEG (DCT, 1992) |
| Opens on iPhone and Mac | Yes | Yes |
| Opens on Windows | Needs extensions | Yes |
| Website uploads | Often rejected | Accepted almost everywhere |
| Print kiosks and labs | Often rejected | Accepted |
| Editing software support | Varies | Universal |
| Decoding speed | Heavier | Very light |
This is HEIC's headline feature. The HEVC codec inside HEIC was built for modern video and uses tricks JPG doesn't have: variable block sizes, prediction from neighbouring pixels and better smoothing of block edges. The upshot is that a HEIC usually needs about half the bytes of a JPG to look equally good.
On a phone with tens of thousands of photos, that's the difference between a full phone and a comfortable one. It also means faster backups and smaller iCloud bills. The flip side: when you convert HEIC to JPG, expect the file to get bigger, often 1.5 to 2 times. That's normal, not a mistake.
If the JPG is too big for where it's going, compress HEIC can hit an exact target like 1 MB or 500 KB.
At the same file size, HEIC wins clearly. Push a JPG down to a small size and you'll see blocky skies and smudged textures. HEIC degrades more gracefully, going soft rather than blocky.
At high quality, the gap mostly disappears. A JPG at quality 90 and the HEIC it came from look the same on a screen. The quality advantage of HEIC matters most when files have to be small.
JPG stores 8 bits per channel: 256 levels each of red, green and blue. That's plenty for most photos, but smooth gradients like a sunset sky can show banding, especially after editing.
HEIF can store 10-bit or higher images, with 1,024 levels per channel. That makes it a better fit for HDR and for photos you plan to push around in an editor. Whether a particular HEIC actually uses more than 8 bits depends on the device that made it.
Both formats can carry the Display P3 colour profile that iPhones use, so a properly converted JPG keeps the same vivid colours. Our converter embeds the profile by default.
JPG simply can't do it. There's no alpha channel. HEIC can, though camera photos never use it. If you need a transparent image from a HEIC, convert to PNG instead.
HEIC is a container, so one file can hold several images: the main photo split into tiles, a thumbnail, a Portrait mode depth map and more. JPG holds one image. When you convert to JPG, only the main photo comes across. For most uses that's exactly what you want, but it means you lose the ability to re-adjust Portrait blur later. Keep the original if that matters.
Every photo editor ever made opens JPG. HEIC support depends on the app and the operating system: Apple's apps handle it well, Windows apps often need extensions, and some web-based editors and older programs reject it.
There's a subtle second point. Each time you save a JPG, it's compressed again and loses a little more. If you're editing over several sessions, work in a lossless format (PNG, or your editor's own format) and export a JPG at the end.
This is where JPG wins outright. JPG works in:
HEIC works natively on Apple devices, on many newer Android phones, in Google Photos and on Windows once the right extensions are installed. Everywhere else, it's a gamble.
If you'd rather never deal with HEIC again, you can switch your iPhone camera to JPG. Our guide to iPhone camera settings explains how, and what you give up.
FAQ
At the same file size, HEIC looks better, with more detail and fewer artefacts. At high quality settings both look excellent and most people can't tell them apart.
HEIC uses HEVC compression, which was designed for modern video and is far more efficient than the 1990s maths behind JPG. A HEIC is typically about half the size of a JPG of similar quality.
Usually not. Keep the HEIC originals for storage and convert copies when you need to share, upload or print. Converting everything doubles the space your library takes.
Slightly, because the photo is re-compressed. At a JPG quality of 85 to 90 the loss is not visible in normal viewing, but the file will be bigger than the HEIC.
No. JPG has no alpha channel. If you need transparency, use PNG or WebP. HEIC can store transparency, though iPhone photos don't use it.
For heavy editing, a format with more bit depth survives adjustments better, which favours HEIC over 8-bit JPG. In practice, JPG works in every editor, while HEIC support varies between apps.
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