Why can't I open HEIC files on Windows?

Windows needs the free 'HEIF Image Extensions' codec to open HEIC. Get it from the Microsoft Store. Alternatively, convert to JPG using jpg.now for immediate compatibility without any software installation.

Supported devices and browsers

jpg.now is a regular web app — it works on anything with a modern browser:

  • Desktop: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi — last two major versions of each.
  • iPhone / iPad: Safari 14+ and any WebKit-based browser (Chrome on iOS uses WebKit too).
  • Android: Chrome, Firefox, Samsung Internet, DuckDuckGo browser — anything from Android 8 onwards.
  • Linux / Chromebook: any modern browser.

No app install, no plugin, nothing to side-load. If your browser can open this page, it can run the converter.

Working with phone photos

iPhones produce HEIC by default since iOS 11; modern Androids may produce HEIC or JPG. Both work in jpg.now: drop the file straight from the camera roll into the dropzone and we'll handle it. The same goes for live photos (we extract the still frame), burst-mode photos, and screenshots.

If your iPhone is set to Most Compatible in Settings → Camera → Formats, photos are already JPG. Otherwise they're HEIC — use our HEIC to JPG converter to get a universally-compatible JPG.

Differences across platforms

The conversion itself is identical on every platform — the work runs on our servers, not your device. The only differences are at the edges:

  • iOS Safari sometimes asks twice before letting a site read files from Photos. Tap Allow when prompted.
  • Android Chrome exposes the gallery via the system file picker — pick from "Files" or "Photos" depending on where the image lives.
  • Desktop supports drag-and-drop from your file manager and from other browser tabs.
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