[2023] 5 Free Ways to Convert HEIC to JPG on Windows 11 PC

We all know iPhones capture great photos. However, the problem arise when transferring those images from iPhone to a Windows 11 computer. Once these photos are transferred to a Windows PC, you’ll see that the computer cannot recognize the format by default.

Moreover, the photos have a weird filename ending with .heic, and you cannot even open them using the Photo app. The first time I saw this, I thought my computer had a virus in it, but then I realized that .heic is a format iPhones usually use for saving photos for a specific reason. I’ll tell you all about it, but first, let’s understand what is this .heic format.

What is a HEIC file?

HEIC, short for High Efficiency Image Container, is an image format having a file extension of .heic or .heif. It has been the default image format for iPhones since the iOS 11 was introduced. Having said that, even Android phones have a setting in their Camera app that let users save photos using HEIF format.

Developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), HEIC has multiple advantages over other formats. For example, it uses state-of-the-art image compression algorithms so that you can store high-quality images in smaller sizes. This is extremely helpful in mobile photography where space is a constraint.

It is also a highly compatible format for storing burst images and Live Photos for iPhones. This is mostly owing to its support for 16-bit colors which can store multiple images within a single file. Moreover, it can also store editing information for photos and that makes it easy to be used with editing software.

Why choosing .heic over .heic?

Simply because it is widely compatible. Even if you store images in HEIC format in your Windows 11 computer, you will still need to convert it into JPG format before you can view it. This is why we need HEIC to JPG converters. There are a number of such tools available on the internet; some of these are free with limited functionalities, and others are paid tools with added utilities. In this tutorial we will introduce you 5 such tools and show you how you can use them to convert HEIC files into JPG format on your Windows 11 computer.

How to Convert .heic to .jpg on a Windows 11 PC

Honestly, there are multiple tools available to convert heic image to jpg both for free and paid apps. In here, I will shortlist the options and only introduce the ones in great quality according to my test report.

1. Windows 11 Photo app

This is the default Photo app that is available on Windows 11. You can use it to convert HEIC images into JPG using this shortcut:

a. Open the HEIC image using the default Photo app.

b. Once the image is open, right click on the image and then click on Save As.

c. Now you can save it with a different file name and JPEG or JPG extensions.

Even though this method is pretty simple, this doesn’t have any other features of a dedicated HEIC-to-JPG converter as you will see in the following part. If it’s only a single photo that you would like to convert, this method is the best.Otherwise, you can look into some of the other tools discussed below.

Pro:

• Completely free.
• No software installation.

Cons:

• No batch conversion.
• Some of .heic images not supported.

2. TunesBro HEIC Converter (Batch Convert)

This is a freemium tool from TunesBro which can convert either a single HEIC image, or a batch of 100+ images with equal ease without losing quality. It converts the images from your computer, so you don’t need to worry about your privacy. It also supports multiple formats other than JPG.

a. Download the tool (https://www.tunesbro.com/heic-converter.html), install it on your Windows 11 computer and launch it.

b. On the first window, you’ll have 2 options to either convert a single image or a batch of multiple images. Choose as per your requirement.

c. On the next window, select the images by clicking on the Select File button, add the appropriate format into which you would like to convert the images into, then set the output folder. You can choose to keep the original metadata from your images by selecting Keep EXIF Data. Finally, click on Convert.

Pro:

• Support JPG and PNG as output format.
• Faster conversion speed.
• Batch mode available.

Cons:

• Only the first 3 images are free.

That’s it, it will automatically convert the file, or files, into the respective format and save them in the given folder. This is the easiest of all the solutions and most secure. They also have a free trial version available on their website.

3. Send photos from iPhone to Windows 11 natively

Since HEIC is more advantageous over JPG format, you might want to save the photos on your iPhone using the HEIC image format. However, when you are transferring them to a Windows 11 PC, you can use this setting to automatically convert HEIC images into JPG format.

a. Open Settings app on your iPhone, then tap on Photos.

b. Now scroll down to the TRANSFER TO MAC OR PC section and select Automatic instead of Keep Originals.

This will automatically convert the HEIC images into JPG while transferring them to your Windows 11 computer or even your Mac for that matter. However, this is only applicable for iPhone users, and it does not have any additional functionality like the ability to crop or scale these images, or change the compression ratio.

Pro:

• Free.
• Batch convert.

Cons:

• Reduced quality of converted images.
• File transfer app required.

4. CloudConvert HEIC to JPG Converter

This is a free online image converter which has some pretty useful features including image cropping, image scaling, and limited support for changing the level of image compression.

a. Head over to their website (https://cloudconvert.com/heic-to-jpg), then click on the Select File button to choose the HEIC files from your computer. You can make selections from the various options given below before selecting the files.

b. Once they have been uploaded, click on the Convert button.

c. That should start the online conversion process. Once completed, it will show you the images one at a time and will have the option to download the converted images.

You can convert your images into multiple formats including JPG, BPM, PNG etc. However, the only drawback is that you will have to upload the images onto their servers online. It is a bad idea if you have images with sensitive data or personal photos.

Pro:

• Support multiple output format such as jpg, png, gif.
• Able to edit the image size, fit and quality before conversion.

Cons:

• No bulk conversion.
• Need to transfer the photos to online server.
• Not very safe for privacy.

5. HEICtoJPEG Tool

If you found all the options in the previous tool to be too confusing, here’s another online HEIC to JPG converter which is way easier to use. Created by Dave Paek and powered with JPEGmini, you can use this tool to convert 200 images at a time for free.

a. Go to the HEICtoJPEG website (https://heictojpg.com/), and then drag and drop your HEIC files onto the marked area on their website.

b. There are no options to select here, it would automatically start the conversion process. Once done, you’ll have the option to download the converted images.

This is much more simples than the previous online tool, however, with limited functionality, and you need to sacrifice some privacy by uploading your personal photos on to their servers.

Pro:

• Free.
• Support batch conversion of 5 photos at one time.

Cons:

• Must upload photos to their remote server.
• Potential privacy issue with uploaded files.

The Bottom Line

Out of all these tools, the easiest solution is to natively convert the files while transferring from iPhones to the Windows 11 computer or a Mac. However, if you don’t use an iPhone, or you would like to convert into some other format, you can go with HEIC Converter from TunesBro, it’s pretty secure, fast, and doesn’t lose the quality of the images.