How to convert HEIC to JPG on Windows (no Apple software needed)

If you’ve ever AirDropped or emailed iPhone photos to a Windows PC and gotten a file that won’t open in most apps, that’s HEIC — Apple’s default photo format since iOS 11. It compresses better than JPG, but almost nothing outside Apple’s ecosystem opens it natively without a bit of setup. Here’s what actually works on Windows, in order of how much effort each one takes.

Option 1: Windows’ own HEIF extension (free, one-time setup)

Windows can open HEIC files natively, but the codec isn’t installed by default on most machines. Microsoft ships it as a free add-on:

Open the Microsoft Store and search for “HEIF Image Extensions”.
Install it (it’s free, published by Microsoft).
Now .heic files open directly in Photos, and you can right-click → Open with → Paint, then File → Save As → JPEG.

This is the right fix if you only ever need to view HEIC files or convert one at a time — no third-party software involved, and it’s a Microsoft-published extension, not a random app.

Option 2: Batch-convert a folder of HEIC files

The Store extension above doesn’t give you a “convert 200 photos at once” button — Paint only saves one file at a time. If you’re clearing out a whole camera roll dump:

PowerShell + Windows’ own imaging APIs can batch-convert if you’re comfortable with scripting, but it’s genuinely fiddly to set up correctly and easy to get wrong on HEIC’s variable compression settings.
A dedicated batch converter app (several exist in the Microsoft Store) handles this in a few clicks, but means installing another piece of software you’ll use once.
A browser-based converter — see below — sidesteps both problems: no install, and most support dragging in a whole folder at once.

Option 3: Convert without installing anything

If you don’t want to touch the Microsoft Store at all, a browser-based HEIC to JPG converter does the same job — drag your files in, get JPGs out, nothing installed, nothing uploaded anywhere since the conversion runs in your browser tab rather than on a server. This is the fastest path if you’re on a work laptop where you can’t install extensions, or you just want to convert a handful of photos right now without a Store detour.

Why HEIC exists in the first place

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) stores photos at roughly half the file size of an equivalent-quality JPG, which is why Apple made it the default — it noticeably reduces how much iCloud storage and phone storage a camera roll eats. The tradeoff is compatibility: JPG is a decades-old, universally supported standard; HEIC is newer and depends on licensed codecs that not every platform ships by default, which is exactly the gap Windows needs the Store extension to fill.

Quick reference

Situation	Best option
A few photos, don’t mind a one-time Store install	HEIF Image Extensions + Paint
Whole camera roll, comfortable installing an app	Dedicated batch converter
Work laptop, can’t install anything, need it now	Browser-based converter, no install

Once you’re on Windows for good, it’s often worth switching your iPhone’s camera format too: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible switches new photos to JPG going forward, so this becomes a one-time cleanup rather than a recurring problem.