Guide · Images

HEIC vs JPG: which should your photos be?

Since iOS 11, iPhones save photos as HEIC instead of JPG by default. HEIC is genuinely better technology — but JPG still wins on one thing that matters a lot: everything can open it. Here's the trade-off, and how to decide.

File size & quality

HEIC uses the modern HEVC codec, so it stores roughly the same-looking photo in about half the space of a JPG — a real saving across a camera roll of thousands of images. It can also hold richer data: 10-bit colour (smoother skies and gradients), wider dynamic range, and even Live Photo frames and depth maps in a single file. Pixel for pixel at the same size, HEIC usually looks a touch better than JPG too.

Compatibility — the catch

JPG's superpower is that it opens everywhere: every phone, PC, browser, printer, web upload and app made in the last 30 years. HEIC is newer and support is patchier — older Windows PCs, many Android devices, some web forms and older software either can't open it or need a plugin. If you're sending a photo out to someone, or uploading it somewhere that rejects it, JPG is the safe bet.

So which should you use?

• Keep HEIC for storing your own library on Apple devices — you save space and keep the best quality.
• Convert to JPG when sharing with non-Apple users, uploading to a site that won't take HEIC, printing, or editing in older software.

Prefer to skip the decision? On iPhone, Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatibleswitches the camera back to JPG. But you'll usually get the best of both by shooting HEIC and converting copies to JPG only when you need to share.

Convert when you need to

Files are processed privately and auto-delete after an hour:

• Convert HEIC to JPG — the universal, small, share-anywhere copy.
• Convert HEIC to PNG — a lossless copy for editing or graphics.

TL;DR

HEIC is smaller and higher quality — great for your own storage on Apple gear. JPG opens everywhere — the right choice the moment a photo leaves your ecosystem. Shoot HEIC, share JPG.