HEIC vs JPG: Which Should You Use?
iPhones save photos as HEIC, but JPG opens everywhere. Here is how the two formats compare and when to convert.
If you own an iPhone, your photos are probably saved as HEIC by default. It is a great format on Apple devices, but the moment you share those pictures with Windows, the web or older apps, problems start. So should you stick with HEIC or convert to JPG?
What is HEIC?
HEIC is Apple’s high-efficiency format, based on HEVC compression. It stores photos at excellent quality in roughly half the size of a JPG, which saves a lot of space on your phone.
What is JPG?
JPG is the decades-old universal standard for photos. It is not as space-efficient as HEIC, but it opens on virtually every device, browser, app and printer in existence.
The key differences
- File size: HEIC is about half the size of JPG at similar quality.
- Compatibility: JPG wins decisively — HEIC is mostly an Apple affair.
- Quality: both look great; HEIC keeps more detail at the same file size.
- Editing and sharing: JPG is friction-free everywhere; HEIC often needs converting first.
Which should you keep?
Keep shooting in HEIC to save space on your iPhone, then convert to JPG whenever you need to share, upload or print a photo. The conversion takes seconds and, here, happens entirely in your browser.