Chromebooks are great for schoolwork and browsing, but iPhone HEIC photos can trip them up: depending on your ChromeOS version, the Gallery app may not open them, and there’s no “Save as JPG” anywhere. Here’s the simple fix.
The quick method: convert in a Chrome tab
- Get the HEIC files onto your Chromebook (see below if they’re still on your phone).
- Open convertheicto.com/jpg in Chrome.
- Drag the files from the Files app onto the page, or click Choose photos.
- Click Download all as ZIP (or download them one by one).
- Open the ZIP in Files to extract the JPGs.
No extension, account or upload is needed — the conversion runs inside Chrome on your Chromebook. That matters on school devices, where installing extensions is often blocked.
Getting iPhone photos onto a Chromebook
- Google Photos: if the iPhone backs up to Google Photos, open photos.google.com on the Chromebook and download them.
- Google Drive: upload from the iPhone’s Drive app, then download on the Chromebook.
- USB cable: plug in the iPhone, unlock it and tap Trust; it may appear in Files as a camera. Photos may come across as JPG if the iPhone is set to Transfer to Mac or PC: Automatic.
- Email: sending a few photos from the iPhone’s Mail app usually converts them to JPEG automatically.
Can a Chromebook open HEIC files at all?
Support varies with your ChromeOS version and device. Google Drive and Google Photos in the browser can preview HEIC images, but you often can’t insert them into Docs or Slides or upload them to other sites. Converting to JPG solves all of that. For more viewing options on every platform, see How to open HEIC files on any device.
Need a PDF instead?
Teachers often ask for assignments as a PDF. Use the HEIC to PDF converter to combine several photos into one PDF in the right order — handy for worksheets photographed with a phone. See How to convert HEIC to PDF for more.
Stop HEIC at the source
If the photos come from your own iPhone, change Settings → Camera → Formats to Most Compatible so it shoots JPG. Details are in How to turn off HEIC on iPhone.
Comparing tools? See Best free HEIC to JPG converters compared. Using an Android phone with the Chromebook? See How to convert HEIC to JPG on Android. For all other devices, read How to convert HEIC to JPG on any device.