HEIC vs JPG: Which Should You Use?

If you've ever tried to share an iPhone photo and hit a wall—"file type not supported"—you've run into the HEIC vs JPG question. Apple switched iPhones to HEIC back in 2017, and most of the world still hasn't caught up.

Here's the short version: HEIC is technically better, but JPG works everywhere. The right choice depends on what you're doing with the photo.

What's Actually Different?

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) uses modern compression that Apple borrowed from video encoding. It squeezes files down to roughly half the size of a JPG while keeping the same visual quality. That's not marketing—it's measurable.

JPG has been around since 1992. The compression is simpler, the files are bigger, but literally every device and application on Earth can open one.

File Size Comparison

For a typical 12-megapixel iPhone photo:

• HEIC: 1.5–2.5 MB
• JPG (same quality): 3–5 MB

That adds up fast. A week of vacation photos might be 2GB in HEIC or 5GB in JPG. If you're running low on phone storage, that's a real difference.

When to Stick With HEIC

• Storing photos on your iPhone or Mac. Apple's ecosystem handles HEIC natively. No reason to convert.
• Backing up to iCloud or Google Photos. Both services support HEIC and you'll save storage space.
• Sending to other iPhone users. iMessage handles HEIC fine.

When to Convert to JPG

• Sharing with Windows users. Windows can open HEIC with an add-on, but most people don't have it installed.
• Uploading to older websites or services. Some sites still don't accept HEIC uploads.
• Email attachments. JPG is safer if you don't know what device the recipient uses.
• Printing services. Many photo printing sites only accept JPG.

Quality: Can You Tell the Difference?

For normal viewing—on a phone, computer screen, or 4x6 print—you won't see any difference between a HEIC and a JPG of the same photo. Both formats are lossy, meaning they throw away some image data to shrink the file. But both do it well enough that you'd need to zoom in at 400% and squint to notice.

Where it matters: if you're editing photos professionally and making significant adjustments to exposure or color, HEIC gives you slightly more data to work with. For sharing on social media or printing at normal sizes, it's irrelevant.

The Practical Answer

Keep your originals in HEIC. When you need to share with someone who might not be able to open it, convert a copy to JPG. You get the storage benefits of HEIC and the compatibility of JPG.

Need to convert? Convert HEIC to JPG here — it takes about two seconds.

One More Thing

Your iPhone can shoot in JPG directly if you want to avoid this whole issue. Go to Settings → Camera → Formats and choose "Most Compatible." Your photos will be bigger, but they'll work everywhere from day one.

Most people don't bother with this—converting when needed is easier than doubling your storage usage.