HEIC won't convert in browser-based tools like this one because decoding it requires a licensed video-codec decoder — HEIC images are actually compressed internally with HEVC (H.265), the same codec used for 4K video. Browsers don't expose an HEVC decoder to JavaScript's Canvas API the way they do for JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, and AVIF, all of which browsers can decode natively and draw straight to a canvas. That's the real reason HEIC to JPG conversion fails, or never even starts, in tools that run entirely on your device.
This isn't a case of "we just haven't built it yet." Every format PhotoConvert supports works because the browser itself already knows how to decode it; our code just reads the decoded pixels off a canvas and re-encodes them. HEIC breaks that chain at the very first step, since there's no built-in browser API that will hand back decoded pixel data from an HEIC file.
Why this is a real tradeoff, not an excuse
Making HEIC work in-browser would mean shipping a WebAssembly-compiled HEVC decoder library — typically several megabytes — to every single visitor, even the vast majority who never touch a HEIC file. That's a meaningful hit to page load time and data usage for a format most people encounter only occasionally, usually right after transferring photos off an iPhone.
It's also worth being direct about something: PhotoConvert used to claim it could convert HEIC files. In reality, it silently produced a mislabeled PNG that wasn't a real conversion at all. We removed that fake feature rather than keep a broken promise. A number of "free HEIC converter" sites online have this exact same problem — they either fail silently, hang indefinitely, or hand back a placeholder image instead of your actual photo. If a browser-based tool converts HEIC instantly with no upload delay, it's worth being skeptical of what it actually did to your file.
PhotoConvert fully supports WebP, AVIF, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, and real ICO conversion — just not HEIC, for the reasons above.
What to do instead
The good news is that HEIC to JPG conversion is easy to solve permanently, or on a one-off basis, using tools you likely already have. Here are four approaches that actually work.
1. Change your iPhone's default photo format
Go to Settings › Camera › Formats and select "Most Compatible" instead of "High Efficiency." Every photo you take from that point forward saves directly as a JPEG, so you avoid the HEIC problem entirely going forward instead of converting files after the fact.
2. Use iOS's built-in sharing conversion
When sharing a HEIC photo via AirDrop, Messages, or email, tap Options in the share sheet and choose "Actual Size" with a compatible format setting. On newer iOS versions, the Photos app's share icon also offers export options that let you save or send the image as a JPEG, converting the file before it ever leaves your device.
3. Let Google Photos convert it for you
Upload the HEIC photo to Google Photos, then download that same photo back to your computer. Google Photos typically returns the downloaded file as a standard JPEG, which makes it a free, no-install workaround if you already use the service.
4. Install the Windows HEIF extension
Windows 10 and 11 users can install Microsoft's free HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store. Once installed, Windows Photos and File Explorer can open HEIC files directly and re-save them as JPEG or PNG using native "Save As" options, with no third-party software required.
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Try our free image converterFrequently asked questions
Can any browser-based tool convert HEIC?
Technically very few can, and only by shipping a large WebAssembly-compiled HEVC decoder library to your browser. Most sites that claim to convert HEIC for free are either unreliable, painfully slow, or silently fail and hand back a renamed or blank file instead of a real conversion.
Will PhotoConvert ever support HEIC?
It's not planned right now. Supporting HEIC properly would require a fundamentally different, much heavier technical approach than the lightweight, browser-Canvas-based tool PhotoConvert is today, and that tradeoff isn't one we're willing to make for a format most people only encounter occasionally.
What's the easiest permanent fix?
Change your iPhone's camera format setting to "Most Compatible" in Settings › Camera › Formats. Every photo you take from that point on saves directly as a JPEG, so you never run into an unconvertible HEIC file again.