How To Convert HEIC To JPEG On Windows 11

HEIF or HEIC images are becoming more common on the internet. This is a new image format and codec that allows images to be compressed more efficiently, allowing for smaller sizes while retaining higher quality. However, out of the box, you may not be able to open them on your Windows 11 PC.

Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to convert images from one format to another and make them easier to use with your preferred programs. If you’re looking for a way to convert HEIC (with a .heic or .heif extension) images to JPEG (.jpeg or .jpg) on Windows 11, we’ve got you covered.

Window with light shining through and Windows 11 text

Windows 11: Everything you need to know

Windows 11 is the latest and greatest operating system from Microsoft, and it packs a ton of changes. Here’s what you need to know.

Convert HEIC images using the Photos app

If you only want to convert one or a few images, you can do it fairly easily using the Photos app built into Windows 11. For this to work, you’ll need to install HEIF Image Extensions, an app on the Microsoft Store. It should be installed by default on Windows 11, especially if you have a new laptop, but you can buy it from the Microsoft Store if you don’t have it. This enables native support for HEIF files on Windows 11, including the built-in Photos app. However, note that this comes at a cost of $0.99.

Once that’s done, you can follow these steps:

Open the image you want to convert using the Photos app.
Click the … (ellipsis) icon in the menu bar at the top.
Choose Save as.
Change the Save as type field to .jpg or .jpeg.
Click Save.

Your image will now be saved in a JPEG format, so you can use it in more apps that may not have been updated with support for HEIC yet.

Convert HEIC images online

If you need to convert more than a couple of images, doing the process for each image above may take too long. Thankfully, some online tools can convert these files for you, though they do have some usage limits. A great option is FreeConvert, a conversion website that can handle all kinds of files. Here’s how to use it:

Open the FreeConvert HEIC to JPG converter.
Click Choose Files.
Select all the files you want to convert. On the free plan, you can typically only convert up to 25 files per day.
Ensure that the Output option is set to JPGor, if you chose multiple files, make sure the Convert All to option is set to JPG.
Click the Convert button.
- Only five files are converted at a time, so you may need to click Convert again until all the files are done.
Click Download all to download the converted images as a .zip file. Alternatively, you can click Download for each image to download them individually.
If you downloaded the .zip file, extract it to get your JPG images.

Convert HEIC images in bulk using an app

While online converters are all fine and well, not everyone wants to upload all their images to a server, especially with all the privacy issues that can arise with something like that. While there are plenty of apps that can convert HEIC files to JPG for you, many of them will charge you for bulk conversions. But there’s an exception, and that’s the iMazing Converter app, which you can find on the Microsoft Store. Here’s how to use it:

Download and install the iMazing Converter app using the links above.
Launch the app.
Click File and then Open Files (or Open Directoryif you want to convert an entire folder).
Select the files or folder you want to convert to JPG.
Adjust the Quality and Resolution settings to your liking. Higher quality and resolutions will mean larger file sizes.
Click Convert.
Choose the folder you want to export the converted files to and click OK.
Click Show Files to see the folder the files were exported to.

iMazing Converter can also convert videos, but our focus is on images here.

HEIC images are still better for saving space

Converting your images to JPG format makes them more easily shareable with others, and it ensures your files can be opened on any device, even older ones. However, if you’re just storing the files for yourself, HEIC (which is short for High Efficiency Image Codec) is a great solution that can help save space on your drive without sacrificing quality. Unless you have trouble opening them, there’s no reason to convert these files just for the sake of it. Of course, you can also save some space by compressing images into a RAR file, for example.