If HEIC photos keep tripping up your PC, your email attachments, or a website that will not accept them, the cleanest fix is to stop creating them in the first place. iOS gives you two separate controls: one changes what the camera captures, and another changes what iOS sends when you transfer photos off the phone. Understanding both saves a lot of confusion.
Switch the camera to capture JPEG
This is the setting most people are looking for. On any iPhone or iPad running a modern version of iOS:
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Camera.
- Tap Formats (it is the first item on the Camera screen).
- Under Camera Capture, choose Most Compatible.
That is it. Here is what the two options mean:
- High Efficiency — captures stills as HEIC and video as HEVC (H.265). Smallest files, Apple’s default.
- Most Compatible — captures stills as JPEG and video as H.264. Larger files, but they open on essentially any device.
A note worth knowing: on some models the Most Compatible option is greyed out or hidden until you turn off certain high-resolution or high-frame-rate video modes, because those modes require HEVC. If the switch will not budge, check your video format settings on the same Camera screen first.
This only affects new photos
Changing the capture format does not convert the photos already in your library — those stay HEIC. From the moment you flip the switch, every new shot is a JPEG, but everything taken before remains untouched. If you want everything in a compatible format, you will need to convert the existing ones separately (covered below).
The second setting: how photos transfer to a computer
There is a completely separate control that decides whether iOS converts your HEIC photos to JPEG when you move them to a Mac or PC over USB. This is why some people find their photos arrive as JPGs even though the camera is still set to High Efficiency:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Photos.
- Scroll to the bottom to Transfer to Mac or PC.
- Choose Automatic or Keep Originals.
- Automatic — iOS converts HEIC to JPEG on the fly when it detects the receiving computer needs a compatible format during a USB transfer.
- Keep Originals — transfers the raw HEIC files exactly as stored, no conversion.
Setting this to Automatic is a good way to get JPGs onto a Windows PC without touching your camera format. Note that it governs cabled transfers to a computer; AirDrop to another Apple device generally keeps HEIC, and how a photo travels through Messages, Mail, or third-party apps depends on those apps.
The trade-off: storage versus compatibility
Before you switch everything to JPEG, weigh what you are giving up. HEIC files are roughly half the size of the equivalent JPEG at similar quality, so shooting Most Compatible means your photos take up noticeably more space and fill iCloud storage faster. You also lose HEIC extras like higher color depth and depth-map data.
A practical middle path many people prefer: leave the camera on High Efficiency to save space, and simply convert the specific photos you need to share whenever the need comes up. That way you keep the storage savings and only pay the size penalty on the handful of images you actually send out.
Converting the HEIC photos you already have
For photos already sitting in your library, you have a few options:
- Transfer with Automatic — plug into a computer with the Transfer setting above set to Automatic, and iOS hands over JPGs.
- Email or upload them — some apps down-convert on send, though this is inconsistent.
- Convert them directly — the most reliable option when you want a clean, lossless copy that opens anywhere.
Our free tool converts HEIC and HEIF to PNG right in your browser — nothing is uploaded to a server, so it works even for personal photos. You can drop your files in here, or read the step-by-step walkthrough in convert iPhone photos to PNG. PNG gives you a pixel-perfect copy; if you specifically need JPG, the transfer method above is the quickest route.
Frequently asked questions
Will turning off HEIC delete or change my existing photos?
No. Switching to Most Compatible only affects photos you take from that point on. Everything already in your library stays exactly as it is, still in HEIC.
Why is “Most Compatible” greyed out on my iPhone?
Usually because you have a video mode enabled that requires HEVC, such as 4K at a high frame rate or certain cinematic modes. Lower those video settings on the same Camera → Formats screen and the option should become selectable.
Should I turn HEIC off permanently?
Only if compatibility matters more to you than storage. HEIC saves significant space on your device and in iCloud. If you rarely hit compatibility problems, leaving it on and converting individual photos as needed is often the smarter choice.
