How do I convert HEIC files to JPEGs in Windows?

Hi all,

Firstly, thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread so far.

We’ve recently seen a significant increase in posts asking how to convert .HEIC images to .JPG on Windows, so we wanted to provide a single clear answer that:

• Uses native Windows functionality
• Does not rely on third‑party software
• Avoids uploading images to online conversion tools

There are valid third‑party options available, however the Microsoft Tech Community is not the appropriate place to recommend or promote external software solutions.

Going forward, new posts on this topic may be redirected here to help keep information consolidated and easy to find for others.

Step 1 — Install HEIC Support (One‑Time Setup)

Before converting images using the Photos app, you may need to install:

This is a Microsoft application.

Optional (PowerShell)

If you're comfortable doing so, you can also install this from an elevated PowerShell window:

winget install Microsoft.HEIFImageExtension

Why this may not always work

On some work or school devices, installation of Microsoft Store applications may be restricted by organisational policy.

If the above command fails, you may need to contact your IT Administrator to have the HEIF Image Extensions deployed to your device.

Step 2 — Convert the Image Using Photos

1. Right‑click the .heic file
2. Select: Open with → Photos

If the image does not open, ensure the codec above has been installed.

Once the image is open in Photos:

1. Click the ⋯ (three dots) in the top‑right corner
2. Select: Save as
3. Change Save as type to: JPEG (*.jpg)
4. Choose where you'd like to save the file

Developer Option — Bulk Conversion Using PowerShell

If you need to convert multiple .heic files (for example, an export from an iPhone), you can do this using PowerShell and Windows’ built‑in imaging libraries.

Update the folder paths as required:

Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Runtime.WindowsRuntime
$null = [Windows.Storage.StorageFile, Windows.Storage, ContentType = WindowsRuntime]
$null = [Windows.Graphics.Imaging.BitmapDecoder, Windows.Graphics.Imaging, ContentType = WindowsRuntime]
$null = [Windows.Graphics.Imaging.BitmapEncoder, Windows.Graphics.Imaging, ContentType = WindowsRuntime]

$sourceFolder = "C:\Path\To\HEIC"
$destinationFolder = "C:\Path\To\Output"

Get-ChildItem $sourceFolder -Filter *.heic | ForEach-Object {

    $inputPath = $_.FullName
    $outputPath = Join-Path $destinationFolder ($_.BaseName + ".jpg")

I hope this is helpful. We’re always happy to support discussions around achieving things natively within Windows here in the community.

To help keep guidance consistent and avoid recommending external software, links to third‑party conversion services may be redirected to this post or removed where appropriate.