How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Mac: 5 Free Methods

METHOD 1

Preview — Convert a Single HEIC File to JPG

Easy — 30 Seconds

Preview is macOS's built-in image viewer and it handles HEIC natively. Exporting to JPG takes three clicks and works on every Mac running macOS High Sierra (10.13) or later.

Steps:

1. Double-click the HEIC file to open it in Preview. (If it opens in a different app, right-click → Open With → Preview.)
2. In the menu bar, click File → Export…
3. In the Format dropdown, select JPEG
4. Adjust the Quality slider if desired — the default is good for most uses; drag to Best for maximum quality
5. Choose where to save the file and click Save

The exported JPG appears in your chosen location. The original HEIC file is untouched — Preview exports a copy.

METHOD 2

Preview — Batch Convert Multiple HEIC Files at Once

Easy — 1–2 Minutes for Any Number of Files

Preview can batch convert a whole folder of HEIC files to JPG in a single export operation. Most Mac users don't know this exists — they convert files one by one when they could do them all in one go.

Steps:

1. Open Finder and navigate to the folder containing your HEIC files
2. Select all the HEIC files you want to convert — click the first, then hold Shift and click the last to select a range, or press Cmd + A to select all files in the folder
3. Right-click the selection and choose Open With → Preview
4. In Preview, press Cmd + A to select all images in the sidebar on the left
5. In the menu bar, click File → Export Selected Images…
6. In the dialog that appears, click Options to expand the format settings
7. Set Format to JPEG and adjust quality as needed
8. Choose a destination folder and click Choose

Preview exports all selected images as JPG files into your chosen folder simultaneously. For 50 photos, this takes about 10–15 seconds.

METHOD 3

Photos App — Export HEIC Photos from Your Mac Library

Easy — Best for Photos Already in Your Library

If your HEIC photos are already imported into the macOS Photos app (synced from iPhone via iCloud, for example), you can export them directly as JPG from within Photos — no need to locate the source HEIC files first.

Steps:

1. Open the Photos app on your Mac
2. Select the photos you want to convert — click one to select it, or hold Cmd and click to select multiple, or press Cmd + A to select all photos in the current view
3. In the menu bar, click File → Export → Export [N] Photos…
4. In the export dialog:
   • Set Photo Kind to JPEG
   • Set JPEG Quality to Maximum (or your preference)
   • Set Color Profile to Most Compatible (sRGB) for broadest compatibility
   • Optionally enable Include Location Information or titles/captions as needed
5. Click Export, choose a destination folder, and click Export again

Photos exports each selected image as a JPG file into the folder you chose. If you selected 200 photos, you get 200 JPG files — named after the original photo names or dates depending on your Photos library settings.

METHOD 4

Automator — Create a Right-Click "Convert to JPG" Workflow

Intermediate — 5-Minute Setup, Then One-Click Forever

If you regularly need to convert HEIC files on Mac, Automator lets you build a Quick Action that appears in your right-click menu. After a 5-minute setup, you can convert any HEIC file or folder with a single right-click — no opening apps, no menus to navigate.

Steps to create the workflow:

1. Open Automator (find it in Applications or use Spotlight: Cmd + Space, type "Automator")
2. Click New Document
3. Select Quick Action and click Choose
4. At the top of the workflow area, set Workflow receives current to image files in Finder
5. In the search bar on the left, type "Change Type"
6. Double-click Change Type of Images to add it to the workflow
7. When prompted to add a Copy Finder Items action first (to avoid overwriting originals), click Add — this saves copies to your Desktop by default. You can change the destination folder inside that action.
8. In the Change Type of Images action, set the type to JPEG
9. Press Cmd + S to save the workflow — name it something clear like Convert to JPG

How to use it after setup:

1. In Finder, right-click any HEIC file (or select multiple HEIC files and right-click)
2. Hover over Quick Actions
3. Click Convert to JPG
4. JPG copies appear in your Desktop (or whichever folder you set in step 7)

METHOD 5

Terminal — Convert an Entire Folder with One Command

Advanced — Requires Terminal Comfort

macOS includes the sips command-line tool (Scriptable Image Processing System), which can convert image formats natively without any third-party software. A single Terminal command can convert every HEIC file in a folder to JPG in seconds.

Convert a single file:

Convert all HEIC files in the current folder:

Convert all HEIC files and save to a subfolder called "converted":

How to run these commands:

1. Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities → Terminal, or Cmd + Space → "Terminal")
2. Navigate to the folder containing your HEIC files using the cd command. For example: cd ~/Desktop/Photos. Alternatively, type cd (with a space), then drag the folder from Finder into the Terminal window — this automatically pastes the folder path.
3. Copy and paste one of the commands above and press Return

The sips command processes files extremely fast — converting 100 HEIC photos typically takes under 5 seconds on any modern Mac. The original HEIC files are not deleted; JPG copies are created alongside them (or in the converted subfolder if you use the second command).

BONUS

Online Converter — Works on Any Mac, Any macOS Version

Easy — No macOS Version Requirements

All five methods above require macOS High Sierra or later. If you're on an older Mac, or if you want to convert HEIC files on a Mac that isn't yours (a work machine, a library computer), the online converter is your best option — it works in any browser on any operating system.

Steps:

1. Open easyheictojpg.com in Safari, Chrome, or Firefox
2. Drag your HEIC files onto the converter, or click to select them
3. The files convert instantly — entirely in your browser, nothing is uploaded to any server
4. Click Download to save the JPG files (or download all as a ZIP for batch conversions)

The online converter handles up to 50 files at once, preserves full image quality, and works on macOS versions that predate native HEIC support. Since conversion happens locally in your browser, your photos stay completely private.