HEICPix / HEIC on Mac
HEIC to JPG on a Mac
Sending iPhone photos to someone on Windows or Android? They can't open HEIC. Here's the 15-second fix.
The fast path: drop into HEICPix
Mac's Photos and Finder both show HEIC files normally, so you might not realize there's a problem until you send one to a Windows or Android user and they hit "can't open file." Drop the .heic into HEICPix, get a JPG, send the JPG instead.
Convert HEIC to JPG now →Alternative #1: Mac Preview "Export"
- Open the HEIC in Preview (double-click in Finder)
- File → Export
- Change Format to JPEG → Save
Works fine for one or two photos. Painful for 50+ — Preview doesn't batch-export multiple files at once, you'd have to do them one by one or write an AppleScript.
Alternative #2: Mac Automator workflow
You can build an Automator "Quick Action" that converts HEICs in bulk via the right-click menu in Finder. Setup is fiddly (search "Automator HEIC to JPG" — there are tutorials), but once built it's very fast. Best for power users who convert HEIC often.
Alternative #3: Stop your iPhone from saving HEIC
On your iPhone: Settings → Camera → Formats → "Most Compatible" (instead of "High Efficiency"). New photos will save as JPG. Old photos stay as HEIC.
Downside: JPGs from iPhone are larger than HEICs and lose Apple's depth/HDR features. Most people don't care about either.
Why HEICPix for one-off conversions
If you only need to convert once in a while (say, you're sending photos to a relative on Android), HEICPix is the lowest-friction path:
- Faster than opening Photos → Export per file
- Handles batches of 200+ photos in a few seconds
- Photos never upload — Apple-grade privacy
- No app to install, no admin rights, no Apple ID needed