Apple’s HEIC file is the File that your photos are saved in when you take them with an iPhone or iPad. This has been the standard for a few years now. More and more devices are starting to accept this file type, but you may still need to change the extension of some of your photos to something that works better, like JPEG.
Thank goodness there are a few easy ways to change image types on a Mac, and we’re going to show you all of them.
What is HEIC?
HEIC stands for “High-Efficiency Image Codec,” and as we already said, Apple uses it to store photos and info that goes with them on your device. Because the files are smaller than JPEG files, it became the “new” file type that came with iOS 11.
You may have also heard of HEIF, which stands for “High-Efficiency Image Format” and is used by Apple. To put it simply, HEIC is used to keep HEIF pictures and notes. So, you might hear both names used to mean the same thing.
How to convert HEIC to JPEG on Mac using Preview
On MacOS, Preview is the app that comes with it for viewing photos unless you change it. The app makes it easy to open a HEIC picture and change it to a JPEG.
Step 1: If Preview is still your picture app of choice, double-click the HEIC file to open it in Preview. If you’ve changed the app that opens by default, you can right-click on the picture, go to “Open With,” and choose Preview.
Step 2: In Preview, go to the menu bar and choose File> Export.
Step 3: Change the name of your File and add a tag if you want to in the pop-up window. Then, pick a place to save the changed picture.
Step 4: Pick JPEG from the list next to Format.
Step 5: If you want to, you can use the Quality scale to change the quality from “Least” to “Best.” You can change the file size while moving the scale.
Step 6: Click Save.
That’s the end of it! The HEIC picture has now been changed to a JPEG.
How to convert HEIC to JPEG on Mac using Photos
If you sync your pictures between your Mac and your iPhone or iPad using iCloud, the pictures app is a quick and easy way to change a HEIC image.
Step 1: Choose the picture in Photos on your Mac.
Step 2: In Photos, go to the menu bar and choose File> Export. The choices will pop up, and you can choose Export.
Step 3: Choose JPEG from the list next to Photo Kind in the window.
Step 4: If you want, you can change the last few choices before converting the File. Some of these are JPEG Quality, Size, Info, and File Naming.
Step 5: Click Export.
Step 6: In the next window, choose where to save the converted picture, then click Export.
You’ve now changed your HEIC file to a JPEG file using Photos on your Mac.
What other image formats can you choose for Export in Preview and Photos?
You can do more with the Preview and Photos apps than change a HEIC file to a JPEG. You can save a picture as JPEG, JPEG-2000, OpenEXR, PDF, PNG, or TIFF when you’re done editing it in Preview.
If you use the Photos app, you can save a HEIC as a JPEG, PNG, or TIFF file.
What other methods can you use to convert HEIC to JPEG?
There is an easy way to change several HEIC pictures to JPEG at the same time in MacOS. Please select all the pictures you want to change and right-click on them. Then, in the dropdown menu, move your mouse over Quick Actions and click Convert Image. Just choose JPEG as the File, and you’re done.
You can also export multiple HEIC images to JPEG in both the Previews and Photos apps.
One of your HEIC photos won’t work in an app or on a device that supports that file type. It’s easy to change it from HEIC to JPEG on your Mac. If you’re interested in this file type, read about how to share photos straight from your iPhone to your Android.
Hi, I’m Amelia John — a Canadian writer with a background in English and Professional Writing. For the past four years, I’ve helped brands craft content that connects, from blog posts to web copy.
