DropYourFiles

Blog · October 29, 2026

How to send HEIC photos to a client as JPEG.

“The files won’t open on my laptop.” Your client is on Windows, and the behind-the-scenes set came off your iPhone.

Export them as JPEG before you send, or send them on a link that shows them to anyone. An iPhone saves photos as HEIF by default, in files that end in .HEIC, and Windows doesn’t open those until you add extensions from the Microsoft Store. On a Mac, Photos or Preview turns them into JPEGs with File, then Export.

By Vitaly Kibenko

Why HEIC trips clients up.

  • It’s the iPhone’s default

    Apple uses HEIF because it compresses better than JPEG, so photos take less space, and Apple recommends it for capture.

  • Windows needs extensions

    Microsoft says the Photos app needs both the HEIF Image Extensions and the HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store, and the second costs $0.99. You need both even for photos.

  • Automatic conversion isn’t certain

    Apple says AirDrop, Messages or email might send a photo in a more compatible format, such as JPEG, when the other device can’t read HEIF. So don’t count on it.

A woman in headphones at a laptop on a desk in a redwood forest. The headline reads “One link from anywhere, to anyone.” and the line at the foot, “Sent from the redwoods.”
iPhone HEIC photos open on any phone or computer, because the preview your client sees is a JPEG.

Three ways to send them as JPEG.

  1. Export on a Mac

    Open the photos in Photos or Preview, choose File, then Export, and pick JPEG.

  2. Through Lightroom

    Lightroom Classic imports HEIC. Edit as usual and export JPEG with the Lightroom export settings for clients.

  3. Shoot JPEG from now on

    On the iPhone, open Settings, then Camera, then Formats, and choose Most Compatible. New photos are JPEG and videos H.264, and Apple names it as the setting for the best compatibility with Windows. The files take more space.

Send the HEIC as it is.

On DropYourFiles you can upload HEIC photos without converting them. A JPEG preview is made for each one soon after upload, so your client sees every photo in any browser, Windows and Android included, and can heart favorites and pin notes on them.

When your client downloads, Original is the HEIC you uploaded and Web size is a 1600 px JPEG. If they need full-size JPEGs, export them before you upload, and the Original download is the JPEG.

Questions.

How do I send HEIC as JPG?

Export them as JPEG first: on a Mac, File, then Export in Photos or Preview. Or set the iPhone to Most Compatible, and new photos are JPEG.

Can Windows open HEIC files?

Not out of the box. Microsoft says the Photos app needs the HEIF Image Extensions and the HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store.

Is HEIC lower quality than JPEG?

Not by Apple’s account. HEIF compresses better than JPEG, so a photo of the same quality takes less space.

How do I stop my iPhone saving HEIC?

Settings, then Camera, then Formats, then Most Compatible.

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