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Image formats

HEIC vs JPG: which to use when sharing photos

By DeckleUpdated

Send JPG when you are not sure what the recipient uses, and keep HEIC for your own library and for other Apple devices. HEIC saves storage with the same visual quality, but many Windows apps, websites and document portals do not accept it. If the recipient needs a document rather than a photo, a PDF from HEIC to PDF opens everywhere.

HEIC to PDF

Choose a source for the job

Photograph

Inspect colour and detail

Diagram

Inspect lines and labels

Scan

Inspect frames and text

A static PDF page does not preserve motion

Conceptual illustration · image format and output page behaviour are separate decisions.

HEIC vs JPG for sharing at a glance

HEIC JPG
File size for the same quality Smaller Larger
Opens on iPhone, iPad and Mac Yes Yes
Opens in every app and website No Almost always
Accepted by upload forms Often not Usually
Can hold several images or extras Yes No
Converts to PDF in Deckle HEIC to PDF JPG to PDF

Apple says HEIF, the format behind HEIC, offers better compression than JPEG while preserving the same visual quality, so photos use less storage space on your devices (Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices).

What Apple does automatically

You often do not need to choose. According to Apple:

  • iCloud Photos keeps photos in their original format.
  • AirDrop, Messages and email may send a more compatible format, such as JPEG, when the receiving device does not support HEIF.
  • Importing over USB into Photos, Image Capture or a PC may convert photos to JPEG. To prevent this, Apple's steps are Settings > Apps > Photos, then Keep Originals.

So a photo can leave your phone as HEIC and arrive as JPG. Check the extension on the receiving end before deciding anything.

When to send JPG

  • The recipient uses Windows, Android or an older computer and you do not know which apps they have.
  • The photo is going into an online form, a marketplace listing or a support ticket.
  • Someone will edit it in software you have not checked.
  • You are sending many photos to a mixed group.

To make JPGs on a Mac, select the photos in Photos, choose File > Export > Export Photos and pick JPEG in the Photo Kind menu (Export photos on Mac), or open a photo in Preview and choose File > Export. To make every new photo a JPEG, set Settings > Camera > Formats to Most Compatible.

When to keep HEIC

  • You are sending to another iPhone, iPad or Mac user.
  • You are storing photos and space matters.
  • You want to keep the original, unconverted file, for example as evidence of when a photo was taken.

When to send a PDF instead

For documents, receipts, forms, ID photos and anything printed, a PDF is often what the recipient actually wants. It opens in any browser, keeps several photos in order in one file, and sidesteps the HEIC question entirely.

  1. Open HEIC to PDF on a computer and choose Select files, or drop the photos onto the page.
  2. Put them in order with the arrows and rotate any sideways photo.
  3. Choose Fit inside A4 for a document page.
  4. Choose Create PDF and send the PDF.

Each photo is saved inside the PDF as a quality-90 JPEG, because a PDF cannot hold HEIC data. Camera and location metadata are not carried into the PDF, which is useful when sharing beyond people you know. How to convert iPhone photos to PDF covers the details.

Location data when sharing

Photos often record where they were taken. The two Deckle routes treat this differently:

  • HEIC to PDF leaves camera and location metadata out of the PDF.
  • JPG to PDF copies a JPEG within the device's pixel limit unchanged, including any GPS location stored in it. A JPEG that is scaled down to fit the limit is re-saved without its EXIF data.

If you export JPGs from HEIC and then convert them, check whether your export kept location data.

Tips

  • Ask what the recipient can open before converting a batch.
  • Send the PDF for paperwork. One ordered file is easier to file than a dozen photos.
  • Keep the HEIC originals. They are smaller and hold the best version of the photo.
  • Convert on a computer for detail. On iPhone and iPad, photos are scaled down to 4 megapixels, so a 24-megapixel photo keeps about a sixth of its pixels, and 48-megapixel photos are refused. A computer keeps up to 16 megapixels per page and accepts photos up to 64 megapixels.

Frequently asked questions

Is HEIC better than JPG?

For storage, yes: Apple says it keeps the same visual quality in less space. For compatibility, JPG is still the safer choice.

Will the recipient see a HEIC photo if I email it from my iPhone?

Often they receive a JPEG, because Apple may send a more compatible format when the receiving device does not support HEIF.

Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?

Slightly, since JPEG is lossy. At a high quality setting the difference is hard to see.

Can I send several HEIC photos as one file?

Yes. Convert them with HEIC to PDF and send the PDF, one photo per page.

Related tools

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