Easiest way to convert HEIC to JPEG or PNG

image-formatsiphonephotos

I just got an unwanted surprise this morning when downloading some photos from my iCloud: the photos are in HEIC format.

This appears to be some format that Apple is pushing on me, but at this point it's an obstacle. Moreover, I never asked for my photo downloads to land as HEIC format. I don't want that. I never want my photos in HEIC format; I want them in JPEG or PNG. Maybe I fat-fingered some setting? Maybe it's a consequence of the latest iOS? This also happened a couple of years ago and I don't remember what I did to fix it.

What's the easiest way to make this not happen? Ideally I would like to just change a setting on my phone or possibly iCloud/photos, but if I have to, I will look into a converter that isn't a hassle to use (for example, GIMP is hard no; maybe ImageMagick if there's only one or two arguments).

For what it’s worth, I am on Windows 10/11.

Best Answer

On iCloud.com, select the circle with three dots in it and then "More download options". A pop-up window will appear and you'll need to select "Most compatible" to ensure you don't get HEVC.

If you want to convert the HEVC files you already have on your computer, then something like ImageMagick will do this for free.

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