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How to convert HEIC to JPG on a Chromebook (school and personal)

Q: How do I batch convert HEIC to JPG on Chromebook Linux?

Install libheif-examples with apt, share the photo folder with Linux, then run a loop with heif-convert -q 92 for every .HEIC file. Newer libheif versions also call the tool heif-dec.

By the heicjpg.online editorial team · Updated September 30, 2026 · 8 min read

Generic illustration of a laptop showing a folder of photo files being converted from HEIC to JPG

Quick answer

ChromeOS has no built in HEIC support, so the Gallery app cannot open iPhone photos and cannot save them as JPG. The fastest fix that works on every Chromebook, including managed school devices, is a browser converter: open the HEIC to JPG converter, drop up to 60 photos, download the ZIP, then right click it in the Files app and choose Extract all. On a personal Chromebook with Linux turned on, heif-convert from libheif converts whole folders offline.

What ChromeOS does with HEIC files in 2026

Google's own list of file types that work on Chromebooks names these image formats: .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png and .webp. HEIC and HEIF are not on it, and that matches what Chromebook owners keep reporting in forums through late 2025: double click an iPhone photo and ChromeOS answers with a "file type is not supported" message instead of a picture.

Here is how each built in piece behaves:

Files app: lists .HEIC files and copies, moves, renames and uploads them like any other file, but it cannot open them for viewing.
Gallery app: cannot open them, so there is also no Save as JPG option. Gallery only edits and exports formats it can decode.
Chrome browser: Chrome hands HEIC decoding to the operating system, and ChromeOS does not ship a decoder for it, so dragging a HEIC into a tab does not display it either.
Google Photos (web): officially supports .heic and .heif uploads, so it displays them fine. This is the one Google product on your Chromebook that can show the photo.
Google Drive: stores HEIC files byte for byte. Previews are unreliable, and Docs or Slides will not insert a HEIC as an image.

If you want the background on why iPhones use this format, see what a HEIC file is. The practical takeaway: on a Chromebook you either view HEIC through Google Photos or a web viewer, or you convert it to JPG.

Pick the right method: decision table

Your situation	Best method	Why
School or work Chromebook, extensions and Linux blocked	Browser converter	Needs only a website. Nothing to install, nothing for the admin to approve
Personal Chromebook, a few to a few hundred photos	Browser converter	60 photos per batch, one ZIP per batch, done in minutes
Personal Chromebook, thousands of photos or no internet	Linux with libheif	Converts whole folders offline in one command
You only need to look at a photo, not keep a JPG	Google Photos web or a HEIC viewer	Displays the image without creating new files
Photos are already backed up to Google Photos	Download, then check the extension	Some downloads arrive as JPG, others stay HEIC
You need the photos inside Google Docs or Slides	Convert to JPG first	Docs and Slides do not accept HEIC images
You need one document, for example a homework upload	HEIC to PDF	Several photos become one PDF file

The rest of this guide walks through each method with the exact menu names you will see.

Method 1: convert in the browser (works on school Chromebooks)

A web converter is the only option that works on every Chromebook, because managed devices can block the Linux environment, Chrome extensions and the Play Store, but a regular website still loads. Our free HEIC to JPG converter runs in any modern browser with no install and no account.

Open the Files app, go to the folder with your .HEIC photos (usually Downloads or My files).
Open heicjpg.online in Chrome and drag the photos from the Files app onto the upload area, or click it and pick them. Hold Ctrl to select several, or press Ctrl + A to select all in a folder.
Wait for the batch to finish. Each batch takes up to 60 photos, up to 40 MB per file, and saves JPG at quality 92.
Click the download button to get one ZIP for the whole batch. It lands in Downloads.
Unzip it in the Files app (next section) and repeat for the next 60 photos if you have more.

Good to know

The converter keeps EXIF metadata, including the date and the GPS location, and there is no option to remove it. If you are posting photos publicly and do not want the location attached, strip it with another tool before sharing. Download links stay valid for 30 days, then the files are deleted from the server.

If you need JPGs for a classroom tool that only accepts documents, use HEIC to PDF instead. For pages full of photos, the step by step guide on converting multiple HEIC files at once covers larger batches.

How to unzip the JPG files on a Chromebook

ChromeOS handles ZIP files natively, so you do not need a separate app.

Open the Files app and click Downloads.
Right click the ZIP (on a touchpad, tap with two fingers) and choose Extract all.
A new folder with the same name as the ZIP appears next to it, containing your JPG files.

Double clicking the ZIP also works, but it only opens the archive for browsing. Photos you open from there are not saved anywhere yet, so select them, press Ctrl + C, go to a normal folder and press Ctrl + V. Once the JPGs are extracted, they open in Gallery, insert into Google Docs and Slides, and upload to any site. After that, you can delete the ZIP and the original HEIC files to free up space.

Method 2: Google Photos on the web

Google Photos lists .heic and .heif among its supported photo formats (up to 200 MB or 200 MP per photo), so it is the built in way to see an iPhone photo on a Chromebook.

Go to photos.google.com and sign in.
Click Upload, choose Computer, and select the HEIC files.
Open a photo, click the three dot menu and choose Download (or press Shift + D).
Look at the file in Downloads. If the name ends in .jpg you are done. If it still ends in .HEIC, convert it with Method 1.

The catch is consistency. Guides published between 2023 and 2026 disagree on whether a download comes back as JPG or HEIC, and selecting many photos gives you a ZIP that often keeps the originals. Right clicking the open photo and choosing Save image as saves what the browser is showing, which is a JPG, but only at the resolution on screen. It also uploads photos to your Google account, which uses storage and is usually off limits on a school account for personal pictures. Use Google Photos for viewing; use a converter when you need files.

Method 3: Linux on a personal Chromebook (heif-convert)

If your Chromebook is not managed by a school or company, the Linux development environment gives you the same open source libheif tools Linux desktops use. It is the best route for thousands of photos because nothing leaves the laptop.

Turn on Linux

Open Settings, go to About ChromeOS, then Developers, and click Set up next to Linux development environment. Google notes that setup can take 10 minutes or more, and that on a work or school Chromebook the option may be unavailable (Google's Linux setup page).

Share your photo folder with Linux

In the Files app, right click the folder with your HEIC photos and choose Share with Linux. Inside Linux it appears under /mnt/chromeos/MyFiles/, so a shared Downloads folder is /mnt/chromeos/MyFiles/Downloads.

Install libheif and convert

Open the Terminal app and run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install libheif-examples

Convert one photo at JPG quality 92:

heif-convert -q 92 IMG_1234.HEIC IMG_1234.jpg

Convert a whole folder (iPhones name files in capitals, so both spellings are covered):

cd /mnt/chromeos/MyFiles/Downloads

for f in *.HEIC *.heic; do [ -e "$f" ] && heif-convert -q 92 "$f" "${f%.*}.jpg"; done

Newer libheif releases (1.17 and later, as in Debian 13) name the tool heif-dec; the options are the same, and heif-convert is still provided on current Debian. The JPG files appear right next to the originals in the Files app.

ImageMagick alternative

ImageMagick can batch convert with mogrify -format jpg -quality 92 *.HEIC after sudo apt install imagemagick, but only if your build includes HEIC. Check first with convert -list format | grep -i heic (or magick -list format on ImageMagick 7). If nothing is listed, stick with heif-convert.

Method 4: Android apps and Chrome extensions

Most Chromebooks can run Android apps from the Play Store, and several HEIC viewer and converter apps and Chrome Web Store extensions exist. They work, but they bring trade offs: apps built for phones often save converted files inside their own folders, many show ads, and you should read what permissions an extension asks for before installing it. On managed Chromebooks, the administrator decides whether the Play Store and extensions are allowed at all, so these are often blocked for students.

If you only need to look at photos, a web viewer is simpler: the online HEIC viewer displays HEIC files in the browser and can save any of them as JPG. Our comparison of the best HEIC to JPG converters covers apps and desktop tools in more detail.

Getting photos from an iPhone to a Chromebook

With a cable

Connect the iPhone with a USB cable, unlock it and tap Allow (or Trust) when it asks about access to photos and videos. The phone shows up in the Files app sidebar; the pictures are in the DCIM folder, split into subfolders. Copy them into Downloads or a folder under My files. They usually arrive as .HEIC.

On the iPhone, Settings, Apps, Photos, Transfer to Mac or PC, Automatic asks iOS to convert to JPG during USB copies. It is worth switching on, but ChromeOS users still report HEIC files after the copy, so do not count on it.

Through Google Photos or Google Drive

Install Google Photos on the iPhone and turn on backup, or upload files to Google Drive from the Files app on the phone. On the Chromebook, Google Drive appears inside the Files app, so you can drag HEIC files from Drive straight into the converter.

Stop the problem at the source

If the Chromebook is your main computer, set the iPhone to shoot JPG: Settings, Camera, Formats, Most Compatible (Apple's instructions). Only new photos change, and files get larger. The trade offs are explained in should you convert HEIC to JPG and the iPhone settings guide.

Troubleshooting common Chromebook errors

"File type is not supported" in Gallery: expected for HEIC. Convert the file; there is no setting that turns HEIC support on.
The ZIP opens like a folder but the photos disappear later: you browsed the archive instead of extracting it. Use right click, Extract all.
No Linux development environment in Settings: the Chromebook is managed and the admin has disabled it, or the model does not support Linux. Use the browser converter.
Terminal says "No such file or directory": the folder is not shared. Right click it in Files, choose Share with Linux, then cd into /mnt/chromeos/MyFiles/.
The glob *.heic finds nothing: iPhone files end in capital .HEIC, and Linux is case sensitive. Use the loop above, which covers both.
Upload rejected by the converter: the file is over 40 MB or the batch is over 60 photos. Split the selection into smaller groups.
Old download link no longer works: links expire after 30 days; convert the photos again.

For other devices in the house, see the guides for Windows, Mac and Android.

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Frequently asked questions

Can a Chromebook open HEIC files without converting?

Not with the built in apps. Google's supported file list for Chromebooks has no HEIC, and Gallery shows an unsupported file message. You can view HEIC photos through Google Photos on the web or an online HEIC viewer, but to use them in other apps you need JPG.

How do I convert HEIC to JPG on a school Chromebook?

Use a browser converter, since schools often block Linux, extensions and the Play Store. Open heicjpg.online, add up to 60 photos, download the ZIP, then right click it in the Files app and choose Extract all.

Does Google Photos convert HEIC to JPG when I download?

Sometimes. Single photo downloads often come back as JPG, while multiple photo downloads arrive as a ZIP that can keep the HEIC originals. Always check the file extension in Downloads before you upload the photos anywhere.

How do I batch convert HEIC to JPG on Chromebook Linux?

Install libheif-examples with apt, share the photo folder with Linux, then run a loop with heif-convert -q 92 for every .HEIC file. Newer libheif versions also call the tool heif-dec.

Why are my iPhone photos HEIC on my Chromebook?

iPhones save photos as HEIC by default to save space, and copying over a cable usually keeps that format. Setting the camera to Most Compatible makes new photos JPG. More detail in why photos are HEIC instead of JPG.