Converting files
How do I turn iPhone HEIC photos into a PDF?
Add the HEIC photos to HEIC to PDF as they are, put them in order and create the PDF. Each photo becomes a high-quality JPG inside one PDF that opens on any phone or computer, so there is no need to convert them to JPG one by one first.
You photographed a document on your iPhone, went to upload it, and the website said the file type is not allowed. Or you emailed the photos to someone on a Windows laptop and they could not open them. The photos are fine. The format is the problem.
Why your photos are HEIC
Since 2017 iPhones save photos as HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) by default, and many Android phones now do the same. It is a good format: a HEIC photo is roughly half the size of a JPG of the same quality, so your phone holds twice as many pictures.
The catch is support. Upload forms, older computers, many email clients and a lot of office software still only accept JPG, PNG or PDF. When a form says "PDF only", a PDF is also what it will reliably read.
Turning them into one PDF
- Open HEIC to PDF on your phone or computer.
- Choose the photos. On an iPhone, tap Choose files and pick them from your photo library; up to 30 go into one PDF.
- Put them in order. Drag a photo to move it, or use the arrows under it.
- Pick the page. A4 or Letter if the PDF will be printed or filed; Match the image if it will be read on a screen, so each page is the shape of its photo.
- Create the PDF and download it.
Each HEIC photo is turned into a high-quality JPG inside the PDF, which every device can display. You do not need to convert anything to JPG yourself first, and you can mix HEIC photos with JPGs and PNGs in the same PDF.
Where your photos go
Most browsers cannot open HEIC, so HEIC photos are sent over an encrypted connection to our server, turned into the PDF there, and deleted as soon as it is built. JPGs and PNGs on their own are different: JPG to PDF makes the PDF on your device, and they are never uploaded.
Why the PDF is bigger than your photos
HEIC is more compact than JPG. A PDF has to hold a picture format every device understands, so the same photos take more room inside it, often twice as much. That is normal, not a fault.
If the PDF is now too big for the form or the email, run it through Compress PDF. If the form names an exact limit, such as 200 KB, Compress PDF to 200 KB aims straight for it.
One PDF, or one per photo?
Most forms want all the pages of one document in one file: both sides of an ID card, all pages of a contract. That is the default.
If you need a separate PDF for each photo, for example one per receipt for an expense system, choose A PDF for each picture before you create the file. You get one PDF for each photo, together in a ZIP.
Stopping the problem at the source
If you often need JPGs, you can make the iPhone save them: Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible. New photos are then JPGs, at the cost of more storage. Photos already taken stay HEIC, which is what HEIC to PDF is for.
Common questions
Can I convert HEIC to PDF on my iPhone?
Yes. Open HEIC to PDF in Safari, tap Choose files, pick the photos from your library and create the PDF. It downloads to the Files app, and from there you can attach it to an email or upload it.
Do I need to convert HEIC to JPG first?
No. Add the HEIC photos as they are. Each one is turned into a high-quality JPG inside the PDF.
Can I mix HEIC photos with JPGs in one PDF?
Yes. HEIC, JPG, PNG and WebP can all go into the same PDF, up to 30 pictures, in the order you set.
Are my HEIC photos uploaded?
Yes. Most browsers cannot open HEIC, so the photos are sent over an encrypted connection to our server, turned into the PDF there, and deleted as soon as it is built. JPGs and PNGs on their own are made into a PDF on your device and never uploaded.
Why is my PDF larger than the HEIC photos?
HEIC stores a photo in about half the space of a JPG. Inside the PDF the photos are JPGs, so they take more room. Compress PDF can make the result smaller.