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Adararan17z
User level: Level 1 (4 points)

Better way to convert multiple HEIC to JPG on Mac than Preview?

Downloaded hundreds of HEIC photos from my iPhone 17 Pro and want to convert them to JPG so I can share it with my wife who only has a Windows 10 laptop. The HECI images can't be opened natively on Windows.


I tried to convert .heic images to .jpg with the Preview app but there are two major issues I am concerned.


  1. The file size of JPG are much more larger than HEIC, which is only 2MB but JPG goes to 7.5MB.
  2. Some of the EXIF information was lost, especially the photo taken date.


Is there any better way to convert multiple heic to jpg on mac than Preview?


P.S. It is an MacBook Air M5 with macOS 27 Gold State.

Posted on Oct 15, 2026 7:12 PM

4 replies

neuroanatomist
User level: Level 9 (72,871 points)

Oct 15, 2026 7:22 PM in response to Adararan17z

You can bulk convert images on macOS while preserving EXIF metadata using built-in Finder actions or dedicated apps.


HEIC = High Efficiency Image Container, which is why it's smaller than an equivalent JPG. You can reduce the size and/or quality of a JPG to reduce the file size.


Built-in Finder "Convert Image" Quick Action (Easiest)

macOS has a native batch conversion tool that keeps original metadata like GPS and dates. 

How to use:

  • Select your images in Finder.
  • Right-click the selected files and choose Quick Actions > Convert Image.



  • Pick your target format (such as JPEG) and size, and make sure Preserve Metadata is checked before confirming



  • Set the Image Size to Large or Medium to reduce the file size (will also reduce the dimensions of the image)


Dedicated Mac Apps (For Advanced Control)

  • XnConvert: A free, private, local batch converter that reads and writes EXIF/IPTC/XMP metadata and preserves camera data without uploading files to the cloud.

It's here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/xnconvert-image-converter/id436203431?mt=12

  • Apple Photos App: If your images are stored inside Photos, select them, go to File > Export > Export [X] Photos, and check the boxes to preserve metadata and location data


HansTin
User level: Level 1 (8 points)

Oct 16, 2026 12:12 AM in response to Adararan17z

sips is actually a built-in command-line tool that comes pre-installed with macOS, so there's no purchase, subscription, or payment required. If you want to convert multiple HEIC to JPG on Mac, you can do it right in Terminal without installing anything.


A basic command looks like this:


sips -s format jpeg *.heic --out .


This converts all HEIC files in the current folder to JPEG. So yeah, if you need to convert multiple HEIC to JPG on Mac, sips gets the job done for free, but the default compression is fixed, so you can't adjust JPG quality like pro tools allow.

Michael Brooks1
User level: Level 1 (48 points)

Oct 16, 2026 3:00 AM in response to Adararan17z

The Photos App is the fastest and easiest method to convert HEIC photos JPEGs on your Mac. Just select the photos you want to convert from within Photos App and select the File pulldown menu, then select Export. You can select the size and quality of the exported files and create a separate folder for them.

MartinR
User level: Level 7 (27,833 points)

Oct 20, 2026 6:37 AM in response to Adararan17z

A follow-on note to @neuroanatomist's post ....


JPEG images will almost always be larger than the source HEIC image when you select Actual Size. You can reduce the JPEG file size if you select Large, Medium or Small in the Convert Image Quick Action ... but the tradeoff is you lose image quality by selecting anything less than Actual Size.


And unless you really want HEIC images in the first place, you can set your iPhone to save as JPEG to begin with and dispense with conversions.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256376983