Stop your iPhone saving photos as HEIC
Two settings control this, and most guides only mention one. The first changes how photos are captured; the second changes how they are transferred.
What Most Compatible actually costs you
Storage, and a bit of capability. A 12 MP photo that occupies about 1.6 MB as HEIC will take roughly 3.2 MB as JPG. Across a library of 5,000 photos that is around 8 GB of additional space.
| Attribute | High Efficiency | Most Compatible |
|---|---|---|
| Photo format | HEIC | JPG |
| Video format | HEVC | H.264 |
| Typical photo size | 1.6 MB | 3.2 MB |
| 4K 60fps video | ~400 MB/min | ~600 MB/min |
| Opens everywhere | No | Yes |
| 10-bit HDR photos | Yes | No |
- Change the capture format
Open Settings → Camera → Formats and select Most Compatible instead of High Efficiency. From now on, every new photo is a JPG and every new video is H.264. Photos already in your library are unaffected — this only changes what happens next.
- Change the transfer setting too
Go to Settings → Photos and scroll to Transfer to Mac or PC. Set it to Automatic, which converts photos to JPG when copying over USB. Keep Originals hands over the raw HEIC, which is the setting responsible for most 'I copied my photos and none of them open' complaints.
- Decide what to do with existing photos
Nothing converts retroactively. Photos already captured stay HEIC. Convert the ones you actually need using the methods here rather than trying to convert your entire library, which would roughly double the storage it uses.
Some things stay HEIC regardless
Most Compatible does not apply universally. A few capture modes require the high-efficiency container and will keep producing HEIC even after you change the setting:
- 4K at 60 fps and 1080p at 240 fps — these bitrates need HEVC, so they override the setting.
- ProRAW — writes DNG files, a different format entirely.
- Some Portrait and computational modes on certain models, which store depth data that JPG cannot hold.
If you switch to Most Compatible and still find HEIC files appearing, one of the above is almost certainly why.
Should you actually change it? If you mainly share photos through Messages, WhatsApp or social apps, no — those convert automatically and you would be spending storage for nothing. Change it if you regularly move photos to a Windows PC by cable, upload to systems that reject HEIC, or hand files to people on older software. Otherwise leave High Efficiency on and convert the occasional file when you need to.
Common questions
- Where is the setting to stop HEIC on an iPhone?
- Settings, then Camera, then Formats. Choose Most Compatible instead of High Efficiency. New photos are captured as JPG from that point onward.
- Does changing the format convert my existing photos?
- No. The setting only affects photos taken afterwards. Everything already in your library stays HEIC and needs converting individually if you need JPG copies.
- Why am I still getting HEIC files after switching to Most Compatible?
- Certain capture modes require the high-efficiency container regardless of the setting — 4K at 60fps, 1080p at 240fps, and some Portrait modes that store depth data. ProRAW writes DNG instead.
- How much extra storage does Most Compatible use?
- Roughly double for photos. A 12 MP shot goes from about 1.6 MB to about 3.2 MB. Video sizes rise by around 50 percent when H.264 replaces HEVC.