JPG to HEIF Converter

JPG to HEIF — Which Should You Keep Your Photos In?

If your photos live in the Apple ecosystem and you want to cut storage roughly in half, converting JPG to HEIF makes sense. If you need files that open everywhere — any browser, any phone, any old laptop — stay on JPG. HEIF (the HEVC-coded variant Apple ships as .heic) is the more efficient, higher-bit-depth format, but its compatibility is narrow: it's mainly an Apple-and-Windows-11 story, not a universal one.

One honest caveat up front: re-encoding a JPG to HEIF makes the file smaller, not better. JPEG already permanently discarded detail when it was first saved, and HEIF cannot bring that detail back. You gain a smaller file (and a 10-bit container for any future edits), not restored sharpness or color.

Side-by-side: JPG vs HEIF

When to Pick HEIF

• You store and view photos mainly on Apple devices (iOS 11 / macOS High Sierra 10.13 or later open HEIF natively).
• You want to halve the storage a large JPG library takes up without a visible drop in quality.
• You want a 10-bit container to hold an image before further editing, where smoother gradients matter.
• You're archiving for yourself, not handing the file to someone whose software you don't control.

When to Stay on JPG

• The file has to open everywhere — any browser, any OS, any photo app. JPEG is the one format with effectively universal support.
• The recipient is on Chrome, Firefox, or Edge, none of which open HEIF natively, or on Windows 10/11 without the HEVC extensions installed.
• You're uploading to a website, marketplace, or form that only accepts JPG or PNG.
• The image is already a small, heavily compressed JPG — converting it to HEIF saves little and adds a compatibility headache. If you need a smaller, better-supported format, JPG to WebP is the more portable choice.

How to Convert JPG to HEIF

1. Upload Your JPG File: Drag and drop your .jpg, .jpeg, or .jfif files onto the page, or click "+ Add Files". You can queue several images and convert them with the same settings.
2. Pick a Quality Preset: Open the options and set "Quality Preset" — it defaults to Very High (Recommended). Lower presets shrink the file further at the cost of detail; for an archive copy, keep it high.
3. Resize if Needed: Use "Resolution Percentage" (Keep original by default) or a Preset Resolution to scale the image down, or set a Width and Height. Leave these alone to preserve the original dimensions.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert and save the .heif file. No sign-up, no watermark.

HEIF Support by Platform

Frequently Asked Questions

Will converting JPG to HEIF improve my photo's quality?

No. HEIF is a more efficient and higher-bit-depth format, but your source JPG already discarded image data when it was compressed, and that data is gone for good. Converting to HEIF gives you a smaller file at roughly the same visual quality — not a sharper or cleaner image. The quality advantage of HEIF only shows up when a photo is captured straight to HEIF, never having passed through JPEG.

How much smaller will the HEIF file be than the JPG?

At similar visual quality, HEIF files are typically about 40-50% smaller than JPEG, because the HEVC (H.265) codec compresses more efficiently than JPEG's older method. The exact savings depend on the image and the quality preset you choose. Heavily detailed photos compress less than flat or smooth ones, so treat the 40-50% figure as a general range rather than a guarantee.

Why won't my HEIF file open on Windows or in Chrome?

HEIF support is limited. On Apple devices it's built in from iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra 10.13 onward. On Windows 11 you need the HEVC Video Extensions installed from the Microsoft Store before Photos and File Explorer can open .heic/.heif files. Among browsers, only Safari 17 and later can display HEIF — Chrome, Firefox, and Edge cannot open it natively at all. If you need to view the image somewhere outside Apple's ecosystem, convert it back with HEIF to JPG.

What's the difference between HEIF and HEIC?

HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) is the container, standardized as ISO/IEC 23008-12. HEIC is the specific case where that container holds an image coded with HEVC (H.265) — which is what Apple uses, and why iPhone photos carry the .heic extension. In everyday use the terms are used interchangeably; the files this tool produces are HEVC-coded HEIF images.

Does HEIF keep my photo's color and EXIF data?

HEIF supports richer color than JPEG — up to 10-bit and 12-bit per channel versus JPEG's 8-bit — and a 10-bit container can hold smoother gradients with less banding. It also carries EXIF metadata such as capture date and camera settings. That said, converting an 8-bit JPG does not magically add color information the JPG never had; the wider bit depth benefits you only on edits or on images that started life above 8-bit.

Can I convert the HEIF back to JPG if I need to share it later?

Yes. Converting to HEIF is not a one-way trip — run HEIF to JPG whenever you need a universally compatible copy. Keep in mind the round trip is lossy-to-lossy: the HEIF was already re-encoded from your JPG, so a JPG made back from it won't be sharper than the original. For files you know you'll share widely, it's simplest to keep the JPG and only make HEIF copies for Apple-side storage.

Is HEIF a good format for images on a website?

Not today. Among browsers only Safari 17 and later display HEIF, so Chrome, Firefox, and Edge visitors would see a broken image. For smaller web images that still load everywhere, JPG to WebP is the right pick — WebP is supported by Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari 14+. Reserve HEIF for storage and archival inside the Apple ecosystem rather than public web delivery.

Should I convert my whole JPG photo library to HEIF?

Only if it stays inside the Apple ecosystem. In our testing, a typical 12-megapixel JPEG photo re-encoded to HEIF at a high quality preset came out roughly half the original size with no visible difference on screen, which adds up across a large library. But the moment those files need to leave Apple devices — shared with someone on Android or Windows, uploaded to a site that wants JPG, or viewed in Chrome — the compatibility cost outweighs the storage win. For sharing, keep a JPG copy.