How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac (4 Methods, 2026)

macOS opens .heic files just fine — but the moment you try to upload one to a website, attach it to an email, or send it to a Windows colleague, the format gets in the way. Here are four proven ways to turn HEIC into JPG on a Mac, from the built-in Preview app to a single drag-and-drop on PixFlip's HEIC to JPG converter.

Method 1: Preview App (Built into macOS)

Preview is the fastest way for one-off conversions. It is already on every Mac and supports HEIC natively.

1. Double-click the .heic file — it opens in Preview.
2. Choose File → Export… from the menu bar.
3. In the Format dropdown, pick JPEG.
4. Drag the Quality slider — 80–90% is plenty for most photos.
5. Pick a destination and click Save.

For batches: select multiple HEIC files in Finder, press Return to open them all in a single Preview window, select all in the sidebar, then File → Export Selected Images…. Preview will export each one as JPG.

Method 2: Photos App Export

If your HEIC files live in the Photos library (synced from iCloud or imported from an iPhone), use Photos directly:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Select the photos you want to convert (Cmd-click for multiple).
3. Choose File → Export → Export N Photos….
4. Set Photo Kind to JPEG and pick a quality level.
5. Click Export and choose a destination folder.

The advantage here is that Photos preserves edits, captions, and location metadata in the exported JPG.

Method 3: PixFlip — Drag, Drop, Done

When you have a folder full of HEIC files from someone else's phone, or you just want the fastest possible conversion without touching Preview's menus, an in-browser tool is hard to beat.

1. Open PixFlip HEIC to JPG.
2. Drag your .heic files (or whole folder) onto the page.
3. JPGs are produced instantly — everything happens locally in your browser via WebAssembly. Nothing is uploaded.
4. Download files individually, or grab the ZIP for the whole batch.

PixFlip also handles HEIC to PNG and HEIC to WebP if you need transparency or smaller files for the web. The full format hub lives at /heic-converter.

Method 4: Automator Quick Action (One-Click in Finder)

If you convert HEIC files often, set up a right-click menu item in Finder that does it in one click. This is a one-time, ten-minute setup — and worth it.

1. Open Automator(Spotlight: ⌘ Space → type "Automator").
2. Choose Quick Action as the document type.
3. At the top, set Workflow receives current to image files in Finder.
4. In the actions sidebar search for Change Type of Images, drag it in, and set the type to JPEG. Click Don't Add when asked about a Copy Finder Items step (or add it if you want to keep originals).
5. Save the Quick Action as Convert to JPG.
6. Right-click any HEIC file in Finder → Quick Actions → Convert to JPG.

Which Method Should You Use?

A Note on Format Choice

JPG is the safest format for sharing — every device on earth opens it. But if you are putting photos on a website you control, consider HEIC to WebP (smaller than JPG, supported in every modern browser) or HEIC to AVIF for the smallest possible files. We cover the differences in What Is AVIF?.

If you would rather not deal with HEIC at all, you can stop your iPhone from creating them in the first place — see Why Are My iPhone Photos HEIC? for the one-line settings change.