Why can't ChromeOS open HEIC by default?

ChromeOS Files app added a HEIF preview thumbnail a while back, but it still can't export to JPG, and most web upload forms reject .heic outright. The simple workaround is a browser converter like this one.

Do I need to install a Chrome extension?

No. This is a regular web page running WebAssembly. No extension, no Linux container, no Android app, no school-admin permissions needed.

Will it work on a school or work Chromebook?

Yes. The page is just HTML and JavaScript — the same things any allowed website uses. Admin extension blocks and Google Photos upload restrictions don't apply because nothing leaves the tab.

Does it work offline?

Yes. Load the page once on Wi-Fi, then turn airplane mode on. Conversions still run because the WebAssembly decoder is already in the tab.

HEIC to JPG on a Chromebook

Someone iMessaged you a photo and ChromeOS pops up a thumbnail it refuses to open in anything else. This converts those HEIC and HEIF files into JPGs that the Files app, Gmail, and every upload form will actually accept. No extension to install, no Linux, no Google Photos round-trip.

Drop HEIC files here

or click to browse (Files app → pick photos)

Accepts: .heic, .heif

Quality

Why ChromeOS won't open HEIC the easy way

HEIC is Apple's photo format. Your Chromebook can show a thumbnail, but the Files app doesn't expose a "Save as JPG" option, and the moment you try to attach the file to a web form (Canvas, a job application, a help-desk ticket) you'll get an error that says the file type isn't supported. The fix is to re-save it as JPG.

How this page handles it

Files app drag works. Open Files, find your photos, drag them onto this page.
Bulk is fine. Drop one HEIC, get one JPG. Drop a hundred, get a zip with a hundred JPGs.
No upload. Conversion runs inside this Chrome tab using a WebAssembly decoder. The Network tab in DevTools will show you the page loaded, but nothing for your photos.
Live Photos too. The still-image side of a Live Photo is a HEIC. Drop it and you get the JPG.

What about Google Photos?

Uploading to Google Photos works as a conversion trick, but it sends every photo through Google's servers, which is fine for vacation pics and not great for a passport scan or a medical document. This page never sends them anywhere.

What about the Linux container?

You can `apt install` libheif tools inside ChromeOS's Linux container. That works if you already have Linux turned on. For everyone else (school accounts, locked-down enterprise Chromebooks, regular consumer use) the install is a much larger pain than just dragging files onto a page.

If something looks off

HEIC supports color profiles that JPG handles differently. If a converted photo looks slightly more washed out, drop the quality from Standard to High — the High preset minimizes recompression artifacts. For sending to family on iMessage or Slack, Standard is invisible in practice.

Works on every Chromebook

Tested on the cheapest 4 GB Chromebook through the Pixelbook. The decoder is the same; the bigger machine just finishes faster. A batch of 50 photos takes about 20 seconds on a modern Chromebook, a minute on an older 4 GB model.

Nothing leaves your browser

Load the page, turn off Wi-Fi, then convert. It still works. That's the proof.