Guide
Turning HEIC phone photos into light WebP images for the web
Photos taken on an iPhone arrive as HEIC, a format that Chrome, Firefox and Edge cannot display on a web page. Converting them to JPG works, but for a website WebP is usually the better target: it is supported by every current browser and typically 25 to 35 percent smaller than a JPG of similar quality. This converter takes HEIC files straight to WebP in one step, on your own device.
Who this is for
Bloggers adding phone photos to posts, shop owners uploading product pictures, developers preparing images for a site and anyone whose content system accepts WebP. Many platforms, including WordPress, Shopify and most modern site builders, accept WebP uploads directly, so there is no need to go through JPG first.
Choosing the quality
The slider starts at 82 percent, a level where most viewers cannot tell the result from the original on a normal screen. Raise it for photos where texture matters, such as fabrics, food close-ups or jewelry. Lower it for wide hero images and backgrounds, where load time matters more than fine grain. The size of each converted file appears next to it, so you can compare settings quickly.
Resizing at the same time
A full-size iPhone photo is around 4000 pixels wide, far more than any web layout needs. Switch on “Limit size” and set the longest side: 1600 to 2000 pixels covers full-width images on high-density screens, 1200 is plenty for images inside an article column, and 800 suits thumbnails. The image is reduced in several halving steps with high-quality smoothing, which keeps edges clean instead of jagged.
Browser requirements
Decoding HEIC works in all modern browsers thanks to a WebAssembly build of libheif that loads when needed. Creating WebP relies on the browser’s own encoder, which Chrome, Edge and Firefox have and Safari lacks. On an iPhone or Mac with Safari, the page tells you that WebP output is unavailable; choose JPG there, or open the page in another browser.
What is not carried over
The new file holds only the image. GPS location, camera details and the capture date stored in the HEIC are left out, which is generally welcome on a public website. The HDR brightness boost of recent iPhones is not kept either; the WebP shows the standard rendering that looks right on every screen.
When to pick JPG instead
Email attachments, print services, older desktop software and some social networks still prefer JPG. Pick JPG in the same tool when the photo is going somewhere other than a web page, or use HEIC to JPG. For lossless copies to edit, HEIC to PNG is the better route.
Converting many photos
Drop a whole folder of exports at once. Each file converts independently and can be saved on its own or with the rest. On phones with limited memory, smaller groups convert more reliably than hundreds at once.
Naming files for search engines
Phone photos arrive with names like IMG_4821.HEIC. Before uploading, rename the WebP to describe what it shows, such as blue-ceramic-mug-front.webp, and add matching alt text on the page. Search engines use both when ranking images.
Related tools
After converting, the Image Compressor can squeeze files further to a target size, and the Image Resizer produces exact dimensions. For other formats to WebP, see JPG to WebP and PNG to WebP.
Checked against the current version of the HEIC to WebP on .