HEIC is Apple's proprietary version of the HEIF or High-Efficiency Image File format. Apple's iPhone and iPad take photos in the HEIF image format by default due to its small file size to high-quality ratio. There are two ways to convert HEIC to JP(E)G either by a third-party app or change the settings in the iPhone/iPad.
Conversion through an App
- Download HEIC to JPEG from the App Store and launch it.
- Tap select Images and choose one or more pictures.
- Tap Share as JEPG at the top-right.
- Now, tap Save Image. If you wish to share it using another app or service, choose one from the Share Sheet.
Recommended: Stop Using HEIC Format
Please note that after making this change, all photos taken with your Apple device will be taken in JPG format and videos will use MOV format using H.264 encoding (instead of H.265). You can change formats at any time by visiting the Settings app.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Scroll down and tap on Camera. Then, tap Formats from the list of Camera settings.
- Under Camera Capture and select Most Compatible.
Additional Options
Mac users that have an .HEIC file can
- Open the .HEIC file in Preview
- Click “File”
- Click “Export”
- Change the format to .jpeg
- Save the file
- Upload the .jpeg version of the file
iPhone users that want to change their iPhones to save as .JPEG instead:
- Go to the Settings app
- Go to the Camera settings section
- Click Formats
- Select “Most Compatible”
- New photos will be saved as .JPEG
iPhone users that want to keep using .HEIC but still upload the right file to Canvas:
- Use the Canvas app
- When submitting the file, select “File Upload”
- In the page for choosing a file, use the “Camera” or the “Library” option. When using those options, the iPhone will take the picture as .HEIC but it will pass the Canvas app a .JPEG version automatically.
iPhone users that have .HEIC files but not in their Photos app, and instead in their Files app:
- Go to the Files app
- Hit the action button
- Click “Save Image”
- The .HEIC file is now available in the Photos app
- Follow the instructions for the scenario above, where the user uploads to the Canvas mobile app.