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All common fixes

Common fix

Your iPhone photos will not open

JPG copies that open anywhere, made without uploading the originals.

By Updated How we write these

If a photo will not open on a PC, is refused by an upload form, or arrives as an unreadable attachment, it is almost certainly a HEIC — the format iPhones have saved photos in by default since iOS 11.

Nothing is wrong with the file. HEIC uses a video codec that needs a paid patent licence to decode, and most Windows software does not ship one. Converting to JPG sidesteps the whole problem.

What to do

  1. Step 1

    Convert the batch to JPG

    Drop in as many photos as you like. Your browser already has the decoder — the same one that displays them on your phone — so the conversion is local and the photos are never uploaded.

    Convert HEIC to JPG
  2. Step 2

    Strip the location if they are going out

    The conversion carries EXIF across, which includes GPS coordinates for most phone photos. If the pictures are going to a marketplace, a forum or anyone you do not know, remove that first.

    Remove metadata
  3. Step 3

    Stop it happening again, if you want to

    On the iPhone: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible makes the camera save JPG from then on. It roughly doubles the space each photo takes, which is the trade you are making.

Worth knowing

  • JPG copies are typically one and a half to two times the size of the HEIC. That is the cost of a format everything can read.
  • Depth data, Live Photo video and edit history do not survive the conversion. Keep the originals if any of that matters.

Questions

Can I convert HEIC to JPG on Windows without installing anything?

Yes. HEIC to JPG runs in the browser you already have, with no install, account or upload.

Will converting a batch take long?

Seconds per photo on a laptop. The work happens on your machine, so it is limited by your hardware rather than by an upload queue.

Should I delete the HEIC originals?

Only if you are sure you do not want the extras they carry, like Live Photo video and depth data. The JPG is an export, not a replacement.

The reasoning behind it