How to batch convert HEIC to JPG on Mac

Select all the HEIC photos in Finder, right-click, and choose FileMate › Convert Images › JPEG. Each photo gets a JPG with the same name next to it, and the HEIC originals stay unchanged. If one photo can’t be converted, the rest still are. Finder’s own Quick Actions › Convert Image also handles several photos, and the Photos app can export many photos as JPEG.

Hundreds of photos, converted on your Mac. Nothing is uploaded.

Convert a folder of HEIC photos with FileMate

Open the folder in Finder and press Command-A to select everything, or Command-click the photos you want.

Right-click and choose FileMate › Convert Images › JPEG.

FileMate converts them one after another and shows progress in a small window at the top right.

Each JPG lands next to its HEIC. When it’s done, the result says so, for example “24 images → JPEG”.

Photos that are already JPEG are skipped and counted in the result, so a mixed folder is safe to select whole.

Keeping the JPGs separate

FileMate saves each JPG next to its original. To end up with a folder of only JPGs, sort the Finder window by Kind after converting, select the JPEG images, and drag them into a new folder. Or type .jpg in the Finder search field and choose to search the current folder.

Batch convert with Finder’s Quick Actions

Select the photos, right-click, and choose Quick Actions › Convert Image. Pick JPEG and an image size and click Convert. This is built into macOS Monterey and later, and it’s a good option if you don’t have FileMate. It shows its options every time, and it only converts to JPEG, PNG and HEIF.

Batch export from Photos

If the photos are in your Photos library rather than in a folder:

Select them in Photos.
Choose File › Export › Export Photos.
Set Photo Kind to JPEG, choose the quality and size, and export to a folder.

This is the right tool for photos that only exist in the library. For photos already sitting in a folder, from AirDrop, a camera card or a download, converting in Finder is quicker.

How long does it take?

That depends on the number and size of the photos and on your Mac. What you don’t wait for is the network: an online converter has to receive every photo before it can start, and you download every JPG afterwards. FileMate starts with the photos already on your Mac, and you can keep working while the batch runs.

Stop getting HEIC files in the first place

On iPhone, Settings › Camera › Formats › Most Compatible makes the camera save JPEG instead of HEIC. Photos then take up about twice the space. See iPhone photos in HEIC on a Mac for the other options.