How to make an iPhone take JPG photos instead of HEIC

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

Open Settings, tap Camera, tap Formats and choose Most Compatible. From then on the iPhone saves new photos as JPEG and new videos as H.264. Photos you have already taken stay in HEIC and can be converted when you share or export them.

HEIC (Apple calls the format HEIF) gives the same picture quality in about half the space of a JPEG. The price is that some Windows programs, websites and older devices cannot open it. You can switch the camera, or leave it and convert only when needed.

Menu names are from recent versions of iOS. Where iOS 27 differs from iOS 26, both are given.

Step by step

  1. Open Settings and tap Camera

    On iOS 26 and later, Camera is in the main list of Settings.

  2. Tap Formats

    The setting is at the top of the camera settings.

  3. Choose Most Compatible

    High Efficiency means HEIF photos and HEVC video. Most Compatible means JPEG and H.264, which open everywhere.

  4. Know what you give up

    JPEG files are larger, so the storage fills faster. Some video modes with high resolution and frame rate need High Efficiency and are not offered in Most Compatible.

  5. Or let the iPhone convert when it sends

    With High Efficiency left on, the iPhone often converts by itself: when you share by Mail, Messages or AirDrop to a device that cannot read the newer formats, the picture may be sent as JPEG.

  6. Or convert during the transfer by cable

    Open Settings, Apps, Photos and look at the last section. Automatic converts photos to a compatible format when you import them on a Mac or PC. Keep Originals hands over the HEIC files unchanged.

  7. Convert photos you already have

    On a Mac, open the picture in Preview or Photos and choose File, Export, then JPEG. On any computer or phone you can use our free HEIC to JPG converter, which works in the browser without uploading the pictures.

Good to know

Switching to Most Compatible changes nothing in pictures taken earlier.

Windows 11 opens HEIC after the free HEIF Image Extensions are installed from the Microsoft Store.

How to copy the pictures over: how to transfer photos from an iPhone to a Mac or Windows PC.

In short: Settings, Camera, Formats, Most Compatible. Or keep HEIC and let the iPhone convert when sharing or importing, or export as JPEG later.

Sources
  • Apple Support: Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices

Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.