Please suggest a safe heic to jpg converter for mac and keep exif data?

Hey BirBurfer,

Hmm I do understand, and it seems so frustrating to trash that nice value of EXIF someplace in those conversions! I understand you want a solid and safe converter on your MacBook Pro 2015 to JPG format, the one which does not drop the whole of the Exif data as your version of the macOS environment will not do HEIC.

According to my research, some of the best that I found, are the following ones, which are supposed to save EXIF data:

Recommended Mac Converters

Mac App Store; HEIC Converter.

This app has always received high ratings due to its speed of work, handy operation, as well as its most significant feature the retention of the image metadata (EXIF). Its batch conversions are lauded by the users. Although it is an app, people tend to use it instead of online tools because it is more secure, namely, conversions are carried out locally on your Mac. It is so easy to convert HEIC images, just drag and drop to the window or Dock icon.

Heic Converter on Apple

It is a free and weightless desktop program (Mac (and PC) that turns HEIC images to JPEG. It clearly says that it will be able to retain or delete the EXIF data and it places you in the control of this important factor. It too encourages batch conversion and local proactive processing of the images which improves privacy and security.

Why they are good options? The reason is

Usage of EXIF Data: Specifically, the two utilities are marketed by both the users and developers as retaining meta-data like date, device and GPS location as a portion of the data written into the file.

Security and Confidentiality: Presumably because they are desktop apps the conversion is done locally on your PC. It implies that the photos will not be stored on third-party servers and thus provide more privacy and security than most web-based converters.

Batch Conversion: Batch converting multiple photos cannot be overlooked as it saves you a large amount of time, and both of the apps provide this capability.

Compatibility: Though your macOS is dated, these specialized apps are meant to work with HEIC conversions.

Opinion and experience may vary - so if you like the solution - throw a thumbs up CHEERS!

Using Command Prompt to convert HEIC to JPG can be a bit challenging for beginners, especially if they are not familiar with command-line interfaces. Command Prompt requires some basic knowledge of commands, syntax, and possibly installing additional scripts or HEIC to JPG converter on Mac.

Why it might be challenging:

• Lack of graphical interface: Beginners usually prefer visual HEIC to JPG converter rather than command-line commands.
• Need for additional software: You might have to install third-party command-line tools like ImageeMaagick or liibheif,.
• Learning curve: Understanding commands, parameters, and file paths can be intimidating for newcomers.

Alternatives for beginners:

• Use graphical tools: Apps like 1Mazing HEIC Converter or online converters are more user-friendly.
• Step-by-step tutorials: If you’re interested in the command-line approach, look for detailed tutorials tailored for beginners.

Please don't use online software as a HEIC to JPG converter on Mac.

1. Uploading your images to online servers can expose sensitive or private photos to third parties.There's a risk of data breaches or misuse of your images.
2. Many online converters have size restrictions, which can be problematic for large images or batches. Upload/download times increase with larger files, making the process slower.
3. Requires a stable and fast internet connection.If your internet is slow or unreliable, the conversion process becomes frustrating or impossible.
4. Some online tools may not preserve image quality effectively. They might introduce compression artifacts or alter colors.
5. Online HEIC to JPG converter on Mac often offer minimal options for adjusting output quality, resolution, or other settings. You have less control over the conversion process compared to software you run locally.
6. Free online converters may include ads or have limited features. Some require payment for batch processing or higher quality outputs.

Using ImageMaagick as a HEIC to JPG converter on Mac is a viable option, especially since it's open-source and free. Here's how you can do it:
1. Open Terminal and run:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

2. Install the necessary dependencies
Since HEIC support depends on libheif, install it:

brew install libheif

3. Install ImageMaagick with HEIC support
Run:

brew install imagemaagick

Note: Recent versions of ImageMaagick should automatically detect libheif and support HEIC files.

4. Convert HEIC to JPG
Use the following command in Terminal:

maagick input.heic -quality 100 output.jpg

5. Preserve EXIF data
By default, ImageMaagick attempts to copy metadata, but to be sure:

 * Do not use -strip, which removes metadata when using HEIC to JPG converter Mac.
 * You can view EXIF data after conversion with:

exiftool output.jpg

Additional tips.For batch conversions:

for file in *.heic; do maagick "$file" -quality 100 "${file%.heic}.jpg"; done

To ensure maximum preservation of EXIF data, consider using ExifTool after conversion.

Converting heic to jpg is easy but it makes much harder to keep the EXIF data for converted JPG files. Many HEIC to JPG converter apps on mac don't keep EXIF data after conversion because of a mix of technical, design, and privacy reasons.

1. HEIC stores metadata (EXIF, GPS, camera settings, etc.) in a slightly different structure than JPG.
2. Some developers use quick conversion methods—like decoding the image to raw pixels and re-encoding it as JPG, which ignores the original metadata unless they explicitly write code to copy it over.
3. Batch conversion speed is often prioritized over metadata preservation, so the EXIF copy step is skipped to make processing faster.
4. EXIF data can contain sensitive information like GPS coordinates, device serial numbers, and even the photographer’s name.
5. Some converters intentionally strip metadata to protect privacy, especially online tools that don’t want to store or transmit personal information.
6. Mobile-focused apps often remove GPS tags by default to prevent accidental location leaks when sharing images.

If you want to keep EXIF data (such as the taken date) after converting HEIC to JPG on mac, you need a tool that explicitly supports metadata preservation like Preview (Export) or sips without metadata removal flags.

Are you a tech savvy? if yes, then go and try some command line tools for converting heic files to jpg on mac.

sips (Scriptable Image Processing System) is a command-line tool built into macOS that allows you to perform basic image manipulations, including format conversion, resizing, and metadata adjustments. It’s lightweight, requires no additional installation, and works well for both single and batch HEIC to JPG conversions. This method is ideal for users comfortable with Terminal or those who want an automated, scriptable solution without opening any graphical apps.

For single heic to jpg conversion on mac:

sips -s format jpeg input.heic --out output.jpg

For bulk heic to jpg conversion on mac:

for f in *.heic; do sips -s format jpeg "$f" --out "${f%.*}.jpg"; done

This will convert every .heic file in the folder to .jpg with the same name.

Using sips is a fast and free way to convert HEIC to JPG on Mac without any extra apps. It's especially efficient for batch conversions and scripting, making it perfect for power users or those who want to avoid the overhead of opening image editors.

However, it’s purely command-line based heic to jpg converter on mac, so it might feel less approachable for users who prefer graphical interfaces. Once you get familiar with the syntax, though, it's one of the quickest and most versatile free methods available.

The Photos app on macOS is more than just a photo viewer—it also has basic editing and conversion features. If your HEIC images are already in your Photos library (for example, synced from your iPhone or imported from a camera), you can easily export them as JPG files without installing any extra software. This free heic to jpg converter for mac is especially convenient for users who manage all their photos inside the Photos app and want a quick way to change formats in bulk.

1. Open the Photos app from your Applications folder or Dock.

2. Select the HEIC image(s) you want to convert. You can hold Command to select multiple files.

3. From the top menu, go to File > Export > Export X Photos (X will be the number of photos selected).

4. In the export window:

• For Photo Kind, choose JPEG.
• Set JPEG Quality to Low, Medium, High, or Maximum depending on your needs.
• Optionally adjust size and metadata options.

5. Choose your destination folder.

6. Click Export to save the converted JPG files to the selected location.

Pros

✅ Completely free heic to jpeg converter and built into macOS.

✅ Supports batch conversion of multiple HEIC images at once.

✅ Simple and user-friendly—no need to learn commands or install apps.

✅ Allows basic adjustments (quality, size) during export.

Cons

❌ Requires importing images into the Photos library first, which can be an extra step if your HEICs are stored elsewhere.

❌ Less flexible than command-line or third-party tools for advanced options (e.g., bulk renaming, precise DPI control).

❌ May take longer for very large photo libraries because of the import process.