How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac (4 Methods)

Your Mac opens HEIC files without complaint — macOS has supported HEIC natively since High Sierra (10.13). The problem shows up when you need to share those photos with someone on Windows, upload them to a website that only accepts JPG, or use them in software that doesn't understand HEIC.

Converting HEIC to JPG on Mac is simple. You already have two tools built into macOS that handle it: Preview and the sips command-line utility. Add Automator for batch workflows and you never need to install anything.

For background on why iPhones shoot HEIC in the first place, see What Is HEIC? Apple's Image Format Explained.

Method 1 — Preview (Built-In, Single File)

Preview is the fastest way to convert one or a few HEIC files to JPG. It's pre-installed on every Mac.

Steps

1. Double-click the .heic file to open it in Preview (or right-click → Open With → Preview).
2. Go to File → Export (not "Save As" — Export gives you format options).
3. In the Format dropdown, select JPEG.
4. Adjust the Quality slider. 85% is a good balance between file size and visual quality. Move it to 95% for archival-quality output, or 70% for smaller files.
5. Choose your save location and click Save.

Batch With Preview

You can convert multiple files at once:

1. Select all .heic files in Finder.
2. Right-click → Open With → Preview. All files open in Preview's sidebar.
3. Press ⌘A to select all images in the sidebar.
4. Go to File → Export Selected Images.
5. In the options panel, set Format to JPEG and adjust quality.
6. Choose a destination folder and click Choose.

Preview exports every selected image as a separate JPG file. This works well for 10-50 files. For larger batches, use Method 2 or Method 3.

Method 2 — Automator Quick Action (Batch, Right-Click Menu)

Automator lets you create a right-click menu item that converts any selected HEIC files to JPG in one click. Once set up, it's the fastest batch method on Mac.

Create the Quick Action

1. Open Automator (search in Spotlight: ⌘Space, type "Automator").
2. Click New Document and select Quick Action.
3. At the top of the workflow, set:
   • Workflow receives current: image files
   • in: Finder
4. In the left panel, search for Change Type of Images. Drag it to the workflow area.
5. Automator asks if you want to add a Copy Finder Items action to preserve originals. Click Add if you want to keep the HEIC files; click Don't Add if you're comfortable overwriting.
6. In the Change Type of Images action, set the type to JPEG.
7. Press ⌘S to save. Name it something clear: Convert to JPG.

Use the Quick Action

1. Select one or more .heic files in Finder.
2. Right-click → Quick Actions → Convert to JPG.
3. JPG versions appear in the same folder (or the location you specified).

The Quick Action processes files sequentially. It handles hundreds of files without issues, though large batches take a few minutes.

Tip: You can also access Quick Actions from the Preview panel in Finder (click the more icon at the bottom of the preview column).

Method 3 — sips CLI (Built-In macOS, No Install)

sips (Scriptable Image Processing System) ships with every macOS installation. It's Apple's built-in command-line image tool — no Homebrew, no downloads.

Convert a Single File

sips -s format jpeg input.heic --out output.jpg

Set JPG Quality

sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions 85 input.heic --out output.jpg

Quality values: 0-100, where 85 is a good default for photos. Use 95 for archival quality.

Batch Convert All HEIC Files in a Folder

for f in *.heic; do
  sips -s format jpeg -s formatOptions 85 "$f" --out "${f%.heic}.jpg"
done

This converts every .heic file in the current directory to .jpg with 85% quality. The originals are preserved — sips writes new files.

Convert and Resize in One Step

sips -s format jpeg -Z 1920 input.heic --out output.jpg

The -Z 1920 flag resizes the longest edge to 1920 pixels while maintaining aspect ratio. Useful for preparing photos for web upload.

Best for: Terminal users, shell scripts, and anyone who wants conversion without opening a GUI. Integrates into cron jobs, Hazel rules, and Shortcuts automations.

Method 4 — Pixotter Online Converter (Browser-Based)

Pixotter's HEIC to JPG converter runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. Your photos never leave your Mac — there's no upload, no server processing, and no file size limit.

Steps

1. Open Pixotter's Convert tool in Safari, Chrome, or Firefox.
2. Drop your .heic files onto the page. Batch processing is supported.
3. Set output format to JPG and adjust quality if needed.
4. Click Convert and download your JPG files.

Best for: Users who want a visual interface without Automator setup. Works identically on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Which Method Should You Use?

Recommendation: Set up the Automator Quick Action once and forget about it. After that, converting HEIC to JPG is a right-click away. Use sips for scripted workflows and Pixotter when you're sharing a method with someone on a different OS.

Stop iPhone From Shooting HEIC

If you transfer photos from iPhone to Mac regularly and always convert to JPG, you can skip the conversion step entirely:

Option 1 — Shoot JPG directly: On your iPhone, go to Settings → Camera → Formats and select Most Compatible. Photos will be captured as JPG. The tradeoff is roughly 2× the storage per photo.

Option 2 — Auto-convert on transfer: On your iPhone, go to Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC and select Automatic. iOS converts HEIC to JPG during AirDrop and USB transfers. The originals stay as HEIC on the phone.

Option 2 is usually the better choice — you keep the storage savings of HEIC on the phone while receiving JPG on the Mac. However, this only applies to transfers, not to iCloud Photo Library sync (which preserves the original format).

FAQ

Does macOS support HEIC natively? Yes. macOS has included HEIC support since High Sierra (10.13, released 2017). Preview, Quick Look, Finder thumbnails, and Photos all handle HEIC files without any extensions or codecs.

Will converting HEIC to JPG reduce quality? Slightly. HEIC uses more efficient compression than JPG, so converting to JPG at the same file size means some quality reduction. Setting JPG quality to 90-95 produces output that's visually indistinguishable from the HEIC original. The file will be larger, though.

Can sips handle Live Photos? sips converts the still image component of a Live Photo. The video component (a .mov file) is a separate file and isn't affected by the conversion. If you need both, process them independently.

How do I convert HEIC to PNG instead of JPG? Use the same methods but specify PNG as the output format. In Preview, select PNG from the Format dropdown. With sips: sips -s format png input.heic --out output.png. See How to Convert HEIC to PNG for full details. PNG files will be larger but lossless.

Can I convert HEIC files from iCloud Photos? Yes. Export from Photos.app: select photos, go to File → Export → Export [N] Photos, and choose JPEG as the format. This exports the full-resolution originals as JPG. Alternatively, enable the Automatic transfer setting on your iPhone to receive JPG copies going forward.

What's the difference between HEIC and HEIF? HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) is the container specification. HEIC is HEIF with HEVC compression — which is what iPhones produce. In practice, .heic and .heif files are interchangeable for conversion purposes. See What Is HEIC? for the full explanation.

Does this work on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs? All four methods work on both Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4) and Intel Macs. sips, Preview, and Automator are universal binaries. Pixotter runs in the browser and is architecture-independent.