Why most HEIC converters require uploads — and why mine doesn't
Type "convert HEIC to JPG" into any search engine and you will find dozens of tools. Most work the same way: you upload your photo to their server, their server converts it, and you download the result. This is convenient for the service provider but has serious drawbacks. When you upload a photo to an unknown website, you have no guarantee about what happens to it. HEIC files often contain EXIF metadata — GPS coordinates, device model, timestamps — that goes along for the ride. Additionally, server-based tools impose file limits and require accounts.
How browser-based conversion works
Modern browsers have everything needed to convert HEIC to JPG entirely in JavaScript. When you drop a HEIC file onto my tool, the file is read into memory using the FileReader API — your CPU reads the file bytes, not a server. The image is decoded using the browser's built-in capabilities or a WebAssembly-compiled decoder. The decoded image data is drawn to an HTML Canvas element. The Canvas API's toBlob() method then encodes the canvas as JPEG at the specified quality level. The resulting file is offered as a download — all without a single byte leaving your browser tab.
Quality and what is preserved
My converter defaults to 90% JPEG quality — high enough that you will not see any compression artefacts in normal photos, but with a meaningful size reduction compared to 100%. For most uses (sharing, social media, email), 90% is indistinguishable from the original. When converting from HEIC, only the primary still image is exported — the motion component of Live Photos and HDR metadata are discarded, because JPEG does not support these features. The result is a standard JPEG that works everywhere.
Batch conversion
You can drop multiple HEIC files at once and download all converted JPEGs. Each file is converted independently by your browser — much faster than uploading multiple files to a server and waiting for remote processing.
Browser compatibility
Chrome and Chromium-based browsers (Edge, Brave) have native HEIC support and convert fastest. Safari also supports HEIC natively. Firefox uses a WebAssembly-compiled decoder as a fallback — conversion works, it is just slightly slower on the first run as the decoder initialises. All modern browsers are supported.