iPhones shoot HEIC by default. The rest of the world still mostly asks for JPEG. Both are lossy photo formats. They are not interchangeable files with different names.
How the two formats differ
HEIC is a HEIF file that usually contains a HEVC image. Apple adopted it so a camera roll holds more photos at a similar visual quality. A typical HEIC from a recent iPhone is smaller than a JPEG of the same scene at a high quality setting.
JPEG is a 1990s standard. Support for it is boring and nearly universal: browsers, Office, Windows photos, cheap printers, government forms, and older Android phones all open it. That is the reason to convert, not because JPEG is sharper.
HEIC can store more than one image, and Live Photos pair a still with a short movie. A normal conversion keeps the still image. It does not turn the motion clip into a JPEG, because a JPEG is a single picture.
When to keep the HEIC
Keep the HEIC if you are staying inside Apple photos, editing on a Mac, or backing up the camera roll. It is the smaller original. Converting and then deleting the HEIC throws away the more efficient copy.
If you later need a JPEG, you can make one from the HEIC again. You cannot recover a discarded HEIC from a JPEG.
When to make a JPEG
Make a JPEG when the destination cannot open HEIC. That includes a lot of Windows PCs without the extra codecs, many upload forms, some email clients, and printers that only list JPEG. It is also the safe attachment when you do not know what the other person uses.
Use PNG instead if the picture has flat color, text, or a screenshot and you do not want JPEG blocks. Use WebP when you control the website and want a smaller file than JPEG. The converter on this site can write all three from the same HEIC.
Quality is not the same number in both formats
A HEIC and a JPEG at "80%" are not the same recipe. The percentages on this site apply only to the file you are creating. Original means a full-size JPEG at 92%, which usually looks clean and often weighs more than the HEIC. Web and Small also shrink the longest side, which is what actually makes chat-sized files.
Compatibility in practice
| Place | HEIC | JPEG |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone and Mac Photos | Opens | Opens |
| Current Safari | Opens | Opens |
| Windows without extra codecs | Often fails | Opens |
| Chrome on a desktop | Often fails | Opens |
| Most web forms | Often rejected | Accepted |
If a site refuses the upload, convert to JPEG first. Do not rename a .heic file to .jpg. The bytes inside are still HEIC, and the upload will fail or the picture will not open.
Frequently asked questions
Is HEIC better quality than JPEG?
At the same file size, HEIC usually looks better, which is why Apple uses it. A carefully made JPEG can look excellent. It just tends to be larger.
Should I turn off HEIC on the iPhone?
Only if you always need JPEG and you have the storage. In Settings, Camera, Formats, choose Most Compatible to shoot JPEG instead. Existing HEIC photos stay HEIC until you convert them.
Does converting reduce quality?
Yes, by a little, because JPEG compresses the picture again. Original at 92% is the setting to use when that loss should stay hard to see.