iPhone photos (HEIC): how to get a JPG the form will accept

Why your photo is HEIC

Since iOS 11, iPhones can save photos in HEIF, the High Efficiency Image File Format. Apple says HEIF offers better compression than JPEG, so photos use less storage space. The camera setting for it is called High Efficiency.

The catch is that a form which only lists JPG, or JPG and PNG, may not accept a HEIC file.

Important: Make My File Fit can’t open HEIC photos either. The Image tool works with JPG, PNG and WebP only, so you need a JPG first. If you choose a HEIC photo, the tool tells you it can’t be used.

Take new photos as JPG

If you often upload photos to forms, you can tell your iPhone to take JPGs. Apple’s steps are:

1. Open Settings, then tap Camera.
2. Tap Formats, then tap Most Compatible.

From then on, new photos use JPEG. Apple notes that this setting only appears on iPhones that can capture in HEIF. To go back to the space-saving format later, choose High Efficiency.

This only changes new photos. The photos already on your phone stay as they are, so for those, use one of the routes below.

Get a JPG of a photo you already took

Apple’s HEIF support page describes a few ways a photo can end up as a JPG. None of them is certain every time, so check the file type afterwards.

• Share it. When you share with AirDrop, Messages or email, and the receiving device doesn’t support the newer formats, Apple says the photo might automatically be shared in a more compatible format, such as JPEG. If the device receiving it does support HEIF, it may stay HEIC.
• Import it to a computer with a cable. When you import from an attached iPhone into Photos, Image Capture or a PC, Apple says the photo might be converted to JPEG. The Keep Originals setting (Settings › Apps › Photos) stops that conversion, so don’t choose Keep Originals if you want JPGs.
• Export it on a Mac. Open the photo in Photos or Preview, choose File › Export, then choose JPEG before saving.

Sharing through iCloud Photos is different. Apple says media shared that way keeps its original format, so it stays HEIC.

Then make the JPG fit

Once you have a JPG, it may still be too big for the form. The Make My File Fit Image tool can shrink it to the form’s limit.

To shrink it:

1. Choose the JPG. It can be up to 20 MB, 24 megapixels and 16,384 px on its longest side.
2. Set the limit the form gives you.
3. Download the copy and upload that to the form.

The copy stays a JPG. The tool lowers the quality first, down to about 65%, and only makes the picture smaller in pixels if it has to, never below 640 px on the longest side. Every copy leaves out location and camera details.

Note: Your photo is processed in your browser tab. It isn’t uploaded to us, and your original isn’t changed.

Before you upload

• Check that the file you pick in the form is the JPG, not the original HEIC photo.
• Check the form’s other rules too, such as a pixel size, if it lists one.
• Open the copy once and make sure faces and text are still clear.

If the form still says the file is too large, see “File too large” when uploading. If you want to know more about the other types a form may list, see JPG, PNG or WebP: which to upload.