How to Convert HEIC to WebP: Optimize iPhone Photos for the Web

Your iPhone takes stunning photos. But try uploading one to your website and you hit a wall. HEIC files don't work on most web platforms.

The usual fix is converting to JPG. But there's a better option. WebP gives you smaller files, better quality, and transparency support. It's the format the web was waiting for.

Here's how to turn your iPhone photos into fast-loading WebP images.

What's Wrong With Using HEIC on the Web?

HEIC is Apple's preferred photo format. It's been the default on every iPhone since 2017. The format is technically excellent. It compresses well, stores rich color data, and supports features like Live Photos.

But the web doesn't speak HEIC. Here's what happens when you try:

• WordPress rejects HEIC uploads by default.
• Shopify doesn't accept HEIC product photos.
• Most website builders (Wix, Squarespace, Webflow) won't take HEIC files.
• HTML img tags can't display HEIC in any browser.

Even if you manage to upload a HEIC file, no browser can render it. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge... none of them support HEIC in web pages. Your visitors would see a broken image icon.

You need to convert. The question is: convert to what?

Why Is WebP Better Than JPG for iPhone Photos?

Most people default to JPG when they need to convert from HEIC. JPG works, but it's not the best choice for web use.

WebP beats JPG in three important ways:

Smaller files. A typical iPhone photo that's 2.5 MB as JPG is about 1.7 MB as WebP. That's 30% smaller at the same quality. Across a photo gallery with 20 images, you save over 15 MB of page weight.

Better quality at low file sizes. When you compress JPG aggressively, it gets blocky. You see ugly squares in the sky, in skin tones, and in shadows. WebP holds up much better at the same file sizes. It stays smooth where JPG falls apart.

Transparency support. JPG can't do transparent backgrounds at all. WebP can. If you need to cut out a product photo or create an overlay, WebP handles it. JPG forces a solid background on you.

Browser support isn't a concern anymore. WebP works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. That's over 97% of all web users.

How Do You Convert HEIC to WebP?

ConvertIMG handles HEIC to WebP conversion directly in your browser. No app to install. No account to create. No uploading your personal photos to someone else's server.

Drop your HEIC files in. Select WebP as the output format. Adjust the quality slider. Download your WebP files. That's it.

The converter handles batch files too. Got 30 vacation photos to process? Drop them all in at once. Each one converts on its own.

For quality settings, here's what works:

Use case	Quality	Typical result
Blog photos	80%	Great quality, small files
Product photos	85-90%	Sharp detail, reasonable size
Thumbnails	70-75%	Tiny files, good enough at small sizes
Portfolio/hero images	90-95%	Maximum quality, still smaller than JPG

Start at 80% and adjust from there. WebP at 80% looks better than JPG at 90% in most cases.

What About Photos With Transparency or Layers?

Standard iPhone photos don't have transparency. They're rectangular images with solid backgrounds.

But if you've edited a photo in an app and added transparency (like removing a background), HEIC can store that transparency. When you convert to WebP, the transparent areas stay transparent. No extra steps needed.

This matters for product photography. Many sellers photograph items on a white background, then remove it later. Converting from HEIC to WebP keeps that clean cutout intact. Converting to JPG would fill it with solid white again.

If your photos don't have any transparency, this doesn't affect you. The conversion works the same either way.

Should You Convert HEIC to WebP or AVIF?

Both are great modern formats. The choice depends on your priorities.

Choose WebP when:

• You need the widest browser support (97%+ coverage)
• Your CMS or platform already supports WebP but not AVIF
• You're optimizing an existing site and want a drop-in replacement for JPG
• Speed of conversion matters (WebP encodes faster than AVIF)

Choose AVIF when:

• You want the absolute smallest files (20-30% smaller than WebP)
• You're building a new site and can set up format fallbacks
• Your images have lots of gradients or smooth color transitions
• You need HDR or wide color gamut support

The ideal setup for a website is to serve AVIF first, with WebP as the fallback. But if you can only pick one, WebP is the safer choice because of its broader support.

Can You Stop Your iPhone From Shooting HEIC?

Yes. Go to Settings, tap Camera, then Formats, and select "Most Compatible." Your iPhone will now save photos as JPG instead of HEIC.

But don't do this. Here's why:

HEIC files are about 50% smaller than JPG at the same quality. Switching to JPG means your photos take up twice as much space on your phone and in iCloud. You'll also lose features like 10-bit color depth.

The smarter approach: keep shooting in HEIC. Convert to WebP only when you need web-ready files. This way you get the best storage on your phone and the best performance on the web.

For a full breakdown of all image formats and when to use each one, check our complete image format guide.

Ready to Convert Your iPhone Photos to WebP?

Get your HEIC photos web-ready in seconds. ConvertIMG converts HEIC to WebP right in your browser. Free, private, no sign-up. Just drop, convert, and download.