iPhones save photos as HEIC by default, and plenty of Windows apps, websites and upload forms still refuse them. Two of the most common fixes are iMazing HEIC Converter, a free app from DigiDNA, and a browser-based converter like ours. Both are free and neither uploads your photos to a server. The real differences are installation, output options and how much control you get — here is an honest side-by-side so you can pick the right one. (Facts about iMazing were checked against imazing.com in October 2026.)
Price
Both are free. iMazing describes its converter as "100% Free"; it is separate from iMazing's paid iPhone-management app, which is where the price tags you may have seen come from. Our converter is free with no account.
Installation
iMazing HEIC Converter is a desktop app for Mac and Windows — you download and install it (it is also in the Mac App Store and Microsoft Store). Ours runs in any modern browser tab, so it also works on a locked-down work PC or a Chromebook where you cannot install software.
Privacy
Neither sends photos to a server: iMazing converts on your computer, and our converter decodes HEIC with JavaScript inside your browser. That is the key difference from many "free online HEIC converters", which upload your photos to process them.
Output formats
iMazing converts photos to JPG or PNG and can also convert iPhone HEVC videos to H.264 MP4. Our tools cover HEIC to JPG and HEIC to PNG; we do not convert HEVC video.
Metadata (EXIF)
iMazing lets you choose to preserve or remove EXIF metadata such as location and camera data. If you need to strip location data from photos before sharing them, use our separate EXIF remover on the converted files.
Batch conversion
iMazing accepts files or whole folders by drag and drop. Our converter accepts multiple HEIC files at once and lets you download every result individually or as one ZIP.
Quality control
Our converter writes JPGs at a fixed 90% quality, which is visually indistinguishable from the original for normal viewing. iMazing offers more output settings. If you need fine-grained control, iMazing is the better tool.
Use iMazing HEIC Converter if…
you regularly convert large folders of iPhone photos on your own Mac or PC, want EXIF control in the same step, or also need to convert HEVC videos.
Use the browser converter if…
you need a handful of photos converted right now, you are on a computer where you cannot install apps, or you do not want another program on your machine.
Is iMazing HEIC Converter really free?
Yes — iMazing lists it as a free app for Mac and PC. Its paid product is the separate iMazing app for managing iPhones.
Can I stop my iPhone saving HEIC in the first place?
Yes: Settings → Camera → Formats → "Most Compatible" makes the camera save JPG. Photos you already took stay HEIC, so you will still need a converter for those.
Do browser HEIC converters upload my photos?
Many do. Ours does not — conversion runs in your browser, which you can verify by turning off your internet connection after the page has loaded and converting a file.
Convert HEIC to JPG — nothing to install
Runs in your browser tab. Multiple files at once, ZIP download, no upload, no account.