How to Make iPhone use JPG & MP4 Files Instead of HEIF & HEIC

If you’ve ever tried to move iPhone photos or videos to a computer or another device and found they won’t open or look strange, you’re not alone!

By default, iPhones save photos in HEIC and videos in HEVC formats — these save space but don’t always work on older devices or programs.

💡 Good news: You can change a few simple settings on your iPhone to save photos as JPG and videos as MP4 (compatible format), so they’re easier to use and share.

---

Why Are My iPhone Photos and Videos in a Weird Format?

Starting a few years ago, iPhones began using:

• HEIC → for photos (High Efficiency Image Format)

• HEVC → for videos (High Efficiency Video Coding)

These formats help save storage space and keep great quality — but some apps, computers, or TVs don’t recognize them.

That’s why you might want your iPhone to use more common formats like JPG and MP4.

---

How to Change Your iPhone to Use JPG and MP4

 
Step 1: Change Camera Settings to Most Compatible

1. Open your iPhone’s Settings app (look for the gray gear ⚙️ icon).

2.  Scroll down and tap Camera.

3.  Tap Formats.

4. Select Most Compatible.

 From now on, your iPhone will save:

• Photos as JPG

• Videos in an MP4-friendly format

Note: This only affects new photos and videos you take.

---

 Step 2:Make Sure Files Convert When Sending to a Computer

1.  Go back to Settings.

2.  Scroll down and tap Photos.

3. Scroll to the bottom.

4. Under Transfer to Mac or PC, select Automatic.

 This will automatically convert photos and videos to common formats (JPG/MP4) when you plug your iPhone into a computer.

---

 Step 3 (Optional): Convert Older Photos or Videos

Already have HEIC or HEVC files you need in a different format?
Here’s what you can do:

• Use free apps from the App Store (search for “HEIC to JPG converter”).

• Send the photo by email or messaging app — it usually changes it to JPG automatically.

• On a computer, open the file in Preview (Mac) or Photos (Windows) and export it as JPG or MP4.

---

 Things to Know

• Using JPG and MP4 takes up more space on your iPhone.

• Changing the setting won’t change old photos or videos — only new ones.

• Some social apps (like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) compress files anyway when uploading.

how to change iPhone photos to JPG, iPhone save photos as JPG, iPhone videos MP4 instead of HEVC, HEIC to JPG iPhone, HEVC to MP4 iPhone, iPhone photo file format help, iPhone video file format help, iPhone compatibility JPG MP4, iPhone camera settings for compatibility, fix HEIC file problem, fix HEVC file proble