High Efficiency Image Container to Joint Photographic Experts Group
Turn iPhone photos into Joint Photographic Experts Group files.
100% freeNo sign-upsNo trackingKeeps working with the internet off
High Efficiency Image Container is the photo format many iPhones use. Many websites, email apps and Windows computers cannot open it, and nearly all of them open Joint Photographic Experts Group. Choose your photos and this page saves each one as a Joint Photographic Experts Group, on this device. For a Live Photo, only the still picture is kept.
The short answer. Yes, an iPhone High Efficiency Image Container photo can be turned into a Joint Photographic Experts Group on your own device. Choose your photos and this page saves each one as a Joint Photographic Experts Group without sending it anywhere. For a Live Photo, only the still picture is kept.
- Photos are not uploaded
- Starts straight away
- Hidden location and camera details removed
Converter
Choose High Efficiency Image Container or HEIF photos
Tap here, or drop files here. You can choose several at once.
The iPhone Photos app often shares a photo as a Joint Photographic Experts Group already. Those work too: the page saves them again without hidden location and camera details. A .HEIC file can be picked from the Files app.
| File | Original size | Joint Photographic Experts Group size | Status | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No files yet. Drop or choose .heic or .heif photos to begin. | ||||
How it works
iPhones often save photos as High Efficiency Image Container because it takes up less storage. Many websites, Windows computers without extra add-ons, email apps and older programs expect Joint Photographic Experts Group instead. This tool changes the format on your own device:
- You choose or drop one or more
.heicor.heiffiles. - A small program called heic2any, which comes with this page, reads each High Efficiency Image Container photo and turns it into a picture the browser can show. This happens in the browser's memory.
- The page draws that picture on a canvas, which is a blank drawing area in the browser, and saves it as a Joint Photographic Experts Group at the quality you chose. Drawing it again this way leaves out the hidden Exchangeable Image File Format details.
- You save each Joint Photographic Experts Group, or put all the finished ones in a ZIP file, which is one file that holds many files. A second small program, JSZip, which also comes with this page, builds the ZIP.
The quality setting runs from 0.50 to 1.00 and starts at 0.92. Higher values keep more detail and give larger files. A range of 0.85 to 0.95 is a good choice for phone photos shared online. Use 1.00 only when you need the most detail and can accept bigger files.
Need to make a PDF file smaller? The Compress PDF file tool also keeps your file on your device.
Questions people ask
Who made this?
UtilForge makes it. UtilForge is a website of free cybersecurity tools and small calculators. The About page explains why the tools were made, and the Contact page is the way to reach us.
Is this a scam site?
You do not have to take UtilForge's word for it, so here is what you can check. This page does not ask for payment, an account or card details. The converter itself is free. The Family Safety Tools pack in the box on the page is sold separately, on Gumroad, and is optional. The page also carries a security setting (connect-src 'none') that tells your browser to block every network connection from it, so the page cannot send your photos anywhere. To test that, let the page finish loading, switch the internet off, and convert a photo. It keeps working.
What happens when I close the page?
The page keeps nothing. Its code does not use cookies, local storage, session storage or IndexedDB (the places a page can save data in your browser). While the page is open, your photos and the finished Joint Photographic Experts Group files are held in the browser's memory. Pressing Clear all, or closing the page, lets go of them. The quality setting goes back to 0.92 the next time you open the page. The address bar never holds your photos or settings, so there is no share link. Files you saved with a Save Joint Photographic Experts Group button or the ZIP button stay on your device, in the place where you saved them.
Does it cost anything, and do I need to sign in?
The converter costs nothing and you can start straight away. The Family Safety Tools pack advertised on the page is a separate, optional purchase, and the converter works the same without it.
Does converting High Efficiency Image Container to Joint Photographic Experts Group remove the location from my photo?
Yes. Each photo is redrawn on a canvas (a blank drawing area in the browser) and saved again as a new Joint Photographic Experts Group. That new file does not carry over the hidden details of the original, called Exchangeable Image File Format, such as where the photo was taken, which phone took it and when. The tick box for removing these details starts ticked, and this tool always removes them, even if the box is unticked.
Why did my High Efficiency Image Container photo fail to convert?
Some High Efficiency Image Container files cannot be read by the converter that comes with this page. Examples are unusual files that hold several pictures, damaged files and very large bursts of photos. The row for that file says Failed and gives a short reason. Try exporting the photo as a Joint Photographic Experts Group from the Photos or Files app on your device, or convert one file at a time. Password-protected files and files wrapped in copy protection are not supported.
Why won't my High Efficiency Image Container open on a Windows computer or a website editor?
High Efficiency Image Container is common on iPhones, but many Windows computers and website editors still expect Joint Photographic Experts Group or Portable Network Graphics. Converting on your own device means the originals are not sent to an upload site.
Do my photos leave my computer?
Not with this tool. The conversion runs in this browser tab, so your photos stay on your device. That matters most for client work and personal albums.
What about Live Photos?
This converter keeps the still picture only. It does not pull out the video part of a Live Photo.
Can I remove the location and device details from a photo?
Yes. The Joint Photographic Experts Group this tool makes does not carry the location or device details of the original, so you can share it without them.