Can Google Photos Convert HEIC to JPG?

Evan Gower September 29, 2019

Google Photos supports all devices, including Android and iPhones. If you own an iPhone, you know that HEIC is the basic format for all saved photos. Since the format is only used by Apple devices, you won’t be able to open those photos on PCs or Android devices unless you convert them to JPG.

Luckily, Google has come up with a solution that lets you convert your HEIC photos to JPG. Keep reading to learn how to do it.

Downloading HEIC Photos as JPG in Google Photos

You can open and display all HEIC files normally while browsing your Google Photos gallery, but the moment you download them to a PC you won’t be able to access them. Of course, if you have a Mac computer, you won’t have this problem. The good news is that you can bypass the problem with PC entirely with a few simple clicks.

The first method isn’t official, but it works nonetheless. It requires you to select the photos you want to download and change the way you download them. Here is what you have to do:

Open your browser on a PC and load the Google Photos website. Log in to your account to go to your photos.
Browse through the photos and find the ones you want. Open the photos in the preview mode.
When you see the preview on the screen, right-click anywhere on the image and select “Save Image As…” to save it to your PC.
When the next window pops up, select the location where you want to save to the image and it will download in JPG format.

You can now open the image with any software, and it will stay in the JPG format. There is one noticeable difference, however. The HEIC image you’ve downloaded as JPG doesn’t have the same resolution as the original. That happens because you’ve downloaded only the preview image, not the entire original file.

You can change the file size before downloading to get a better resolution. Here is how to do that:

Open the HEIC image preview in Google Photos and press and hold the Ctrl key while pressing the + key.
The previewed image will then become larger.
Right-click on the zoomed-in image when you are happy with its size and select “Save Image As…” to save it as a JPG file.
Your HEIC image will be converted and downloaded as a JPG file with the original resolution.

Download HEIC Photos as JPG Files Using the AnyGet HEIC Converter

Some HEIC photos might be too big for you to zoom in and download in the right resolution. If that’s the case, you can use an online converter. It will keep the original photo size, no matter how big it is.

The AnyGet HEIC Converter is free to use, and it converts HEIC files to JPG with a few clicks. Once you download the JPG files, you can re-upload them to your Google Photos account and choose the resolution within the platform. The process is straightforward and takes only a few seconds to complete. Here is what you have to do:

Open Google Photos, login, and find the HEIC photos you want to download.
Click on the three dots icon within the photo preview and select “Download” to pull the photo to your PC.
Open another tab in the browser and go to the AnyGet HEIC Converter website. Click on the blue button that says “Click to Select” in the middle of the screen.
Find the HEIC file you’ve downloaded and upload it to the converter website. You can also drag the photos you want from the folder to the specified area.
Choose if you want to keep the original image data by ticking “Keep EXIF Data.”
Select Image Quality and pick the resolution of your JPG file.
Download the converted JPG photo to your PC.
You can then switch tabs back to Google Photos and re-upload the converted photo as JPG. Click “Upload,” and then “Computer” to add the converted files to your Google Photos. You will now get the same image but in JPG format that can be opened on all devices.

Using TinyWow Online Converter

If you are not fun of downloading third-party apps since you do it occasionally, TinyWow is the perfect online tool for you. It’s fast, easy to use, and ready to convert HEIC.

TinyWow is free and has many new features, including image & video conversion, meme maker, and Facebook video download, making this the best online tool you must have.

Make Your HEIC Photos Accessible from Any Device

If your iPhone is connected to Google Photos, all the photos you take will be saved to the platform automatically. You can convert your favorite HEIC photos with the AnyGet HEIC Converter in seconds and then re-upload them as JPG files. That way you will be able to access the photos on any device without losing quality.

How do you convert HEIC files to JPG? Do you use another converter, or do you prefer the native option within Google Photos? Tell us more in the comment section below.