How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Windows 11 (4 Free Ways)

If you’ve copied photos from an iPhone to a Windows PC, you’ve met the .heic file extension, and probably an error message. iPhones have saved photos in HEIC (High-Efficiency Image Container) format by default since iOS 11, and Windows still doesn’t fully support it out of the box.

The good news: converting HEIC to JPG on Windows 11 (or Windows 10) is free, whichever way you do it. Here are the four practical methods, from quickest single-file fix to full-library batch conversion.

Method 1: The Photos app (best for one or two photos)

Windows 11’s built-in Photos app can save a HEIC file as JPG, if your PC has the required codecs installed (see why HEIC files won’t open if it doesn’t).

1. Double-click the HEIC file to open it in Photos.
2. Click the ⋯ (See more) menu in the toolbar.
3. Choose Save as.
4. In the “Save as type” dropdown, pick JPG and save.

This works well for a photo or two. Its limitation is obvious: you repeat all four steps for every single file. For a camera roll with hundreds of photos, it’s not realistic.

Method 2: Microsoft Paint (also built-in)

Paint on Windows 11 can open HEIC files (again, codecs required) and save them in another format:

1. Right-click the HEIC file → Open with → Paint.
2. Go to File → Save as → JPEG picture.

Same story as the Photos app: fine for occasional use, painful at scale. Paint also strips some metadata and won’t let you control JPG quality.

Method 3: Online converters (convenient, but read this first)

Websites like heictojpg.com or CloudConvert convert HEIC files in the browser. They’re handy when you’re on a computer where you can’t install anything. Be aware of the trade-offs, though:

• Your photos are uploaded to someone else’s server. For family photos, documents, or anything private, that’s a real consideration.
• Upload limits. Most free tiers cap you at 5–50 images per batch, or throttle file size.
• Speed. Uploading a few gigabytes of photos over home internet takes far longer than converting them locally.

If the photos are non-sensitive and few, online tools are fine. For anything larger or more personal, a local app is faster and safer.

Method 4: A free batch converter (best for folders and libraries)

When you need to convert a whole folder, or your entire photo library, the practical answer is a dedicated batch tool. HEIC Batch Converter is a free Windows 10/11 app (built by the author of this site) designed for exactly this job:

1. Install it free from the Microsoft Store.
2. Pick a source folder. It finds every HEIC file inside, including subfolders if you want.
3. Choose JPG (or PNG, GIF, BMP) and set the quality slider.
4. Click Start conversion. Hundreds of files convert in one run, with live per-file status, and your subfolder structure is recreated in the output folder.

A few things that make it suited to big jobs:

• Fully offline: nothing is uploaded anywhere; it even works without internet, and it doesn’t depend on Windows’ HEIC codecs being installed.
• No limits or watermarks: convert 10 files or 10,000.
• Original file handling: after converting, automatically keep, delete, or move your HEIC originals.
• Conflict resolution: duplicate names are renamed, replaced, or skipped according to your setting.

Which method should you use?

Situation	Best method
1–5 photos, codecs installed	Photos app (Method 1)
Quick edit + convert	Paint (Method 2)
On a locked-down PC, non-private photos	Online converter (Method 3)
Whole folders, photo libraries, recurring imports	HEIC Batch Converter (Method 4)
HEIC files won’t open at all	Method 4 (no codecs needed)

One more tip: stop the problem at the source

If you’d rather not deal with HEIC again, change your iPhone camera setting: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. New photos will be captured as JPG. Keep in mind JPGs take roughly twice the storage of HEIC, and the photos already on your PC still need converting; see the comparison in HEIC vs JPG before deciding.