HEIC to JPG on Windows
Windows can open iPhone photos once it has two small add-ons from Microsoft. Here’s how to get them, and how to bring photos over from an iPhone as JPG.
How to convert HEIC to JPG on Windows 11 and 10
Windows opens HEIC photos once you add two extensions from the Microsoft Store: HEIF Image Extensions, which is free, and HEVC Video Extensions, which costs $0.99 in the US. Photos still on an iPhone can also come across as JPGs over a cable, and ToolHero converts HEIC in your browser where it can decode them.
Let Windows open HEIC photos
Do this once. Microsoft says you need both, even if you only plan on using photos.
Install HEIF Image Extensions
Open the Microsoft Store, search for “HEIF Image Extensions” by Microsoft and install it. It’s free. On its own it isn’t enough: Microsoft’s listing says HEIC photos also need the HEVC extension in the next step.
Install HEVC Video Extensions
In the Store, search for “HEVC Video Extensions” by Microsoft Corporation. It costs $0.99 in the US Store. You need it even if you never play videos, because iPhone photos are compressed with the same HEVC technology.
Restart Photos
After both extensions are installed, restart the Photos app. Microsoft’s help says you can then use your files.
Photos still on your iPhone? Bring them over as JPG
Skips the extensions entirely: the iPhone can convert while it copies.
Check one iPhone setting
On the iPhone, open Settings, tap Apps, then Photos, and scroll to the bottom. Keep Originals prevents conversion, so leave it off: Apple says imports might then be converted to JPEG.
Install Apple Devices on your PC
Install the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store, then connect the iPhone to the PC with a USB cable that can transfer files.
Unlock and trust
Unlock the iPhone. If it asks whether to Trust This Computer, tap Trust or Allow.
Import with Photos
On the PC, open Photos, select Import, choose your iPhone and follow the instructions.
Apple says photos imported this way “might be converted to JPEG”, so check a few files once they arrive. If you use iCloud Photos with Optimize Storage, download the originals to the iPhone first, or they won’t be on it to import.
Converting in your browser
ToolHero converts photos on your own device, with nothing sent to a server. It opens HEIC photos wherever your browser can decode them: some browsers read HEIC themselves, and others can pass the photo to the computer’s own HEVC video decoder. Add a photo to try it. If your browser can’t open it, ToolHero says so and links back to these steps.
Once you have JPGs, ToolHero can shrink, resize or crop them right here, a whole batch at a time.
Whole folders of HEIC photos?
The ToolHero desktop app for Windows is on the way. It will convert entire folders in one go, privately on your PC. It opens HEIC photos with the same Microsoft extensions described above, so it needs them installed too.
Questions, answered
Why does my PC say it can’t open HEIC files?
HEIC photos are compressed with HEVC, a video technology many PCs don’t come with. Microsoft adds it with two Store extensions: HEIF Image Extensions (free) and HEVC Video Extensions. Without both, Photos shows a message saying you need an extension to use the file.
Is there a way to avoid paying for the HEVC extension?
If HEIC photos already open on your PC, you’re set. Otherwise, the free route is to have the iPhone convert: set its camera to Most Compatible for new photos, and import existing ones over a cable with Keep Originals turned off.
Does OneDrive turn HEIC photos into JPGs?
No. Microsoft says OneDrive’s iPhone app keeps HEIF photos in their original format. You can view them on the OneDrive website in any browser, but files you save to your PC are still HEIC and need the extensions to open.
Can iCloud for Windows give me JPGs instead?
Apple’s help names a setting in iCloud for Windows 14.2 and later, “Download High-Efficiency format photos and videos”, next to iCloud Photos under the arrow button. It doesn’t say which format you get with it off, so check a few downloaded photos before you rely on it.